Choices
by janissima
Summary: Sam is forced to make a choice during a mission. Should she follow orders or try and rescue some captured children? Final chapter up!
1. Default Chapter

Choices  
  
Chapter one  
  
Colonel Jack O'Neill looked around the area at the base of the Stargate. All was clear on P3X-471. He turned back to his team mates: Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Sergeant Miller, who was along for some extra training before being placed on an SG team.  
  
"Okay campers. You remember what General Hammond said. Our mission is to retrieve the defense mechanism that the Tok'ra found and bring it back home. We are not to get side tracked by scientific or cultural pursuits. Got that Daniel and Carter?"  
  
"Yes sir, yes Jack," they replied simultaneously.  
  
"Good, let's head out. Carter, how far is this object supposed to be from here?"  
  
"It's less than two clicks to the northwest sir. About 200 meters west of a small village that should be just up ahead," replied Major Samantha Carter.  
  
"Lead the way then, Carter. Teal'c, you cover our six. I hope to God we don't run into any snake heads around here!"  
  
The four members of SG-1 headed to the northwest. The going was easy due a well worn path that ambled through the brush and trees of the planet. All kept a close watch on their surroundings, looking and listening for any suspicious activity along the way. The climb began to go uphill, though not at a steep incline. However, the bushes and trees were starting to hang over the path so Sam slowed down a little to cut back some of the more bothersome branches. After about 20 minutes of walking, they came to a small clearing. To the left was a large, rocky hill that rose up about 20 meters. More trees and bushes were to the right.  
  
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound heard from the bushes. SG-1 all turned at the same time, weapons at the ready. From out of the bushes came a man with a frightened look on his face, hands up in the air. He clothes were torn, his face dirty, and he had scratches on his bare arms and face.  
  
"Please, do not hurt me! I mean you no harm. We are in need of your assistance."  
  
"Who are you?" asked Colonel O'Neill. "And where did you come from?"  
  
"I am Treyem, from the village of Kortual. We are a small village of 50 members. We are a peaceful people who have had our world turned upside down!"  
  
Daniel looked carefully at the man. "What has happened to your people?" "Large men with marks on their foreheads and weapons such as his," he said, pointing at Teal'c, "entered our village 2 nights ago. They have taken some of my people away, and killed many others."  
  
"Carter," said Colonel O'Neill, "I thought the Tok'ra operative told us that there were NO snakeheads in the area!"  
  
"They did sir. If the Jaffa just came two nights ago, it's possible that the Tok'ra didn't have time to get the information to us."  
  
"This is true O'Neill. If the Jaffa came in at night, they were undoubtedly very stealthy in their work and may have remained undetected to the Tok'ra," remarked Teal'c.  
  
"Just great! Why can't we ever have a mission that actually goes according to plan?" groaned the Colonel.  
  
Daniel looked sideways at Jack, and then addressed Treyem. "Are there any of your people who have been able to get away from the Jaffa?"  
  
"Yes," Treyem replied. "They are hiding in the caves along this ridge. We have nowhere else to go though. The next village is at least one moon's walk from here and we don't know if it is even safe!"  
  
"How many villagers are in the caves," asked Daniel.  
  
"Only about 25 have made it out," Treyem sadly answered. He looked up at Daniel with great sorrow. "The worst part is that none of our children are with us. The Jaffa, as you called them, took the children away. I don't know if they are even in the village any longer."  
  
"How many children were in the village Treyem?" Sam gently asked the distraught man.  
  
Treyem looked at her with tears in his eyes. "There were 10 children in the village; two of them are my own precious ones. My son, Josef, and my daughter Kiera. My wife is beyond consoling, as are the other parents."  
  
"What can we do to help you Treyem? asked Daniel.  
  
"Oh please, can you help us see if your children are still in the village and help us to find a safe place to relocate? We would be ever so grateful to you!"  
  
"Uh, Danny, a word please?" said Jack. He pulled Daniel off to the side and motioned Sam and Teal'c to follow. "Danny, what is the main objective of the mission?"  
  
"I know we are to retrieve the defense devise, Jack but we can't just leave these people like this! The Jaffa have wiped out half of their village, taken their children and they have nowhere to go."  
  
"I agree with Daniel sir," added Sam. "Can't we do both? Retrieve the devise and bring these people back with us? We could then relocate them to a safe planet. We've done it before."  
  
"I know we've done it before Carter. I don't want to leave these people any more than you do. However, I don't think that we are going to be able to launch a rescue mission for the children. For all we know, they have been taken back to some planet or another. We also have no idea how many Jaffa are still hanging around the village, or even which Goa'uld they serve. We don't have enough information here and I won't jeopardize this mission."  
  
"I could go and take a look O'Neill. See how many Jaffa warriors are around and if there are any children or other villagers in sight," remarked Teal'c.  
  
"No T. We have to get that defense devise before the Jaffa do, and I'll need all of you to help with that. We are just going to be able to take the villagers that we can round up from here. Carter, Miller, tell Treyem to get his people rounded up from the caves and ready to go. Teal'c, you and Danny are with me. We are hightailing it up to the top of the hill, get that damned devise and head out of here before something else happens!"  
  
Chapter 2  
  
As Sam and Miller helped Treyem round up his fellow villagers, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c made their way to the top of the hill, where they found the defense devise that the Tok'ra had told them about. "I sure hope those Tok'ra know how this thing works and what it does," said Jack, as he examined the devise. It was cylindrical in shape, about 24 inches tall with a domed top. It appeared to be made of some silvery metal and had six blue crystals arranged around the top in an even pattern.  
  
"Let's try and lift it up, hey T?"  
  
"Certainly, O'Neill." The two men went on either side of the devise, looking for somewhere to grasp it. There were ridges along the bottom that enabled them to get a good grip and lift it up. Jack grunted as he lifted his end. "Are you alright O'Neill?" questioned Teal'c.  
  
"Just peachy," came the somewhat terse reply. "I hope I don't end up with a hernia the size of New York when we get back. Let's move slowly here Teal'c, we need it in one piece. Daniel, you guide us and watch for tree roots and other things that are bound to trip us up."  
  
"Sure thing, Jack."  
  
As the three men were working on retrieving the devise, Sergeant Miller, Sam and the villagers were slowly heading back to the Stargate. Sam hung back at the rear of the group, quietly talking with Treyem. "Treyem, do you have any idea if the children are still in the village?"  
  
"I am not sure Major Carter. Some of the children were seen being taken away, but I saw the Jaffa take my two children into the building we use as our meeting center. This was last night, I am not sure if they are still there."  
  
"How many Jaffa did you see?" asked Sam. She was trying to ascertain if they could possibly try and rescue the children.  
  
"I saw 8 or 10 of these warriors, but there may have been more. After they took the children, I got my wife out of the village as fast as I could. There was no hope of me getting my children out alive," Treyem replied sadly. "I thought I might be able to find others to help."  
  
"What is this structure like where they took the children? How many entrances, rooms, that type of thing?" Sam enquired of the distraught father.  
  
"The meeting house is a one story structure made of stone from the ridges. There are but two entrances, which are now most likely guarded. There is one large main room and six smaller rooms, three on each side of the hall. The meeting house is situated at the edge of our village, atop the Blasling Ridge. There is a tunnel in the Ridge that leads into the meeting house. No one has used it in generations, it is said to have been made when we were warring with other villages."  
  
Sam looked thoughtful at this information. "So," she reiterated slowly, "there is a way into this meeting house that the Jaffa most likely don't know about?"  
  
"Yes," responded Treyem. "But I do not know what condition it is in. Remember, it has not been used in many years."  
  
On the path down to the clearing where they had met Treyem, Teal'c paused and listened. "O'Neill, I believe I hear the footsteps of some Jaffa. They seem to be headed this way."  
  
"Shit! Let's get off the path and hide in the bushes. I don't want to start shooting and draw more attention to ourselves and the villagers."  
  
The three men quickly hid in the bushes off of the path. Jack prayed that Daniel would not decide to sneeze just then! After several moments, the Jaffa went past and on up the hill. "Must be on their way to find this thing," whispered Daniel.  
  
"Right, head out. Daniel, can you carry this end for a while? I need to contact Carter and tell her to get those people through the gate ASAP."  
  
"Carter, come in."  
  
"Yes, sir," replied Sam.  
  
"We've got four Jaffa in the vicinity. They are headed up the hill to where we found the defense weapon. I need you and Miller to get those people through the gate now. Copy?"  
  
"Yes, sir. We'll be at the gate in two minutes. Sir? Treyem told me where some of the children may be hidden. There is a secret entrance to the building that may make a rescue attempt feasible."  
  
"No Carter. I already told you that we can't attempt a rescue. We have our orders to return this weapon ASAP." Jack thought of how the General had pulled him aside after their briefing and told him in no uncertain terms that they must return with the weapon. Kinsey was making more threats that if they didn't bring back something useful soon, the future of the SGC program was in serious doubt.  
  
"But sir, we should at least try! Treyem is quite certain that his two kids are still there. We can't just leave them behind!" pleaded the Major.  
  
Jack was getting frustrated with Sam's insistence on questioning him and not following his orders. "Major, I gave you a direct order and I expect you to follow it. Get those people and yourself through that gate now!"  
  
"Colonel, I..." began Sam.  
  
"Am I going to have to bring you on charges Major?" Jack's deadly serious voice came over the radio.  
  
"No, sir," Sam quietly replied.  
  
"Good, we will be about 3 minutes behind you, out."  
  
They had arrived at the gate. Sergeant Miller dialed Earth on the DHD and waited for Sam to send the GDO code through. Sam then looked at the villagers assembled and explained that they would walk through the shimmering pool and be safe on her world. "Sergeant Miller, please accompany the villagers through the gate. I am going to cover the Colonel's back in case the Jaffa are on their trail. I'll be right behind them, ready to come through about one minute after them."  
  
"Didn't Colonel O'Neill want both of us to go through right away Major?" asked the Sergeant.  
  
"Yes, but I need to make sure they arrive safely, we have a very important piece of equipment to bring back." More important than trying to save some children?, Sam thought to herself. She then made a decision that she knew would get her into a lot of trouble, but it was the right one to make.  
  
As Miller began to lead the villagers through the gate, Sam pulled Treyem aside. "Treyem, I am heading back to your village to see about those kids. Don't tell the Colonel until he is through the gate. I want to give myself time to check things out, but not risk any other lives. Can you do that for me?"  
  
"Major Carter. Let me come with you. These are my children we are talking about. I don't wish you to go against orders and put yourself in grave danger for me. I should be there to help."  
  
"No Treyem, I need you to help your people get adjusted to your new home. I will do my best to find them, then come back and get more help if possible. Please tell me you can do as I ask. Don't tell the colonel until he is thought the gate." Sam reiterated her previous instructions. She knew the Colonel would come back right away and probably drab her butt back to the brig.  
  
"Alright Major Carter, I will do as you ask. But don't take the path to the village. Climb the ridge here and follow it back to the East. It runs into Blasling Ridge. You should see the tunnel from down below without anyone seeing you. Be safe Major Carter. And thank you for your willingness to try and find my children."  
  
Sam squeezed Treyem's arm lightly, picked up her pack, and moved into the bushes. She was indeed going to make sure that her team mates made it through the gate before heading around to the village. Two minutes later, Daniel and Teal'c came rushing to the gate, Jack right behind them. He was urging them to hurry as he ran backwards, gun at the ready. As they were making their way up the steps to the Stargate, 3 Jaffa came rushing by Sam's position. They shouted at the humans to stop and began shooting.  
  
Daniel and Teal'c made it through the gate as Jack covered them. He was able to take out 2 of the Jaffa right before he leapt through the gate after his team mates. Sam stood up from her spot and shot the last Jaffa with her Zat gun, just after he shot his staff weapon through the gate.  
  
On the other side of the gate, back at the SGC, Sergeant Miller, Treyem and the villagers watched as Daniel, Teal'c and Jack came stumbling through the gate. "Close the iris!" yelled Jack. He had heard the last Jaffa get off a staff blast and didn't want to take any chances that the blast came through the gate with him.  
  
"But sir, what about..." tried Sergeant Miller.  
  
"Miller! I do not need anyone else today questioning my orders!" Jack yelled as the iris was closed.  
  
General Hammond came up to the group on the ramp. He looked at Sergeant Miller, then at Jack. "Colonel, is there something you need to tell me?"  
  
"It's just that first Carter, then Miller have been questioning my orders on this mission. I have enough to worry about without having to argue with my own team about my orders." Jack glared at the offending Sergeant.  
  
Sergeant Miller was wary of Colonel O'Neill's temper, he had heard many things about this man and how volatile he could be. But knew he needed to speak up. "I am sorry sir. I don't mean to be disrespectful. I just don't understand why you closed the iris before Major Carter came through. She said she would be right behind you."  
  
You could hear the proverbial pin dropping in the room. General Hammond, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c looked around the crowded gate room in stunned silence. There was no sign of the blond haired Major. No one knew what to say for a few moments. Jack felt his stomach clench and his heart skip a few beats. "She's not here? She was supposed to come through the gate with you and all of the villagers." He said in a deathly quiet voice.  
  
Treyem walked slowly up the ramp to stand before Jack. "I am sorry Colonel O'Neill. This is my fault. Major Carter went back to the village to try and rescue my children. She wouldn't allow me to come with her."  
  
"One person against God knows how many Jaffa? What were you thinking Treyem?" hollered Jack.  
  
"Jack," Daniel came and put his hand on Jack's arm, "Yelling at Treyem isn't going to do any good. You know how Sam is when she makes her mind up about something."  
  
"Yeah, but I never thought she'd be this stupid and do something so dangerous that was directly against my orders! General, we have to go back now!" Jack pleaded as he looked back at the empty gate. He was so angry with her for defying orders, yet so worried that something would happen to her before they could get there. 


	2. Searching

Choices  
  
Searching  
  
A/N: This will show as chapter 2 on the site but is actually chapter 3. This is my first fanfic, so navigating the site is confusing to say the least. Please review and help me out on my first creative endeavor! Thanks!  
  
"Chevron 7 looked and encoded sir," came the voice of Sergeant Davis.  
  
"Very well, Sergeant. Get the MALP video relay system on line. We need to see if it is clear to head back to P3X-471 and retrieve Major Carter," replied General Hammond.  
  
Four sets of eyes anxiously awaited the video feedback from the planet. Jack, Teal'c, General Hammond and Sergeant Davis were all dismayed at what they saw.  
  
"Ah, crap!" Jack could be heard saying in the quiet of the control room. "Where did all those Jaffa come from?"  
  
They were looking at an image of at least 8 Jaffa patrolling the gate. "There must be more on the planet than we were led to believe O'Neill," responded Teal'c.  
  
"Do ya think?" came the caustic reply from the Colonel.  
  
"I am sorry Colonel O'Neill, but I can not authorize a rescue at this time. I will not send you back into a possible ambush. We don't know how many more Jaffa are on that planet," came the grave voice of the General.  
  
"But General, Carter is there by herself. If you don't think we can take out the Jaffa, how do you expect her to do anything by herself?"  
  
"I'm sorry Jack. Hopefully Major Carter has found a safe haven until we can get to her or she can make it out on her own. We will not leave her there, but right now, we have to study the situation and make a clear plan, not run in there flying by the seat of our pants, which is what SG-1 tends to do a lot of the time," remarked the General gruffly.  
  
Teal'c raised his eyebrows at this comment but said nothing. Just then, Daniel came running into the gate room. He had been helping the people of Kortaul settle into their temporary quarters on base. "How do things look? Are we heading back?"  
  
"Not just yet Dr. Jackson," replied the General. "There are at least 8 Jaffa guarding the gate, who knows how many more are on the planet. It is just too risky at this time."  
  
Daniel looked over at Jack and saw the anger and frustration etched on his face. Maybe he could help.... "I've just had an interesting conversation with Treyem," Daniel began. "It seems as if this planet has another gate located a few days journey from the village. Treyem and his father discovered it when Treyem was younger. It is hidden in some caves deep in a ridge. I wonder if we can use this gate to get to Sam."  
  
"If there is another gate Daniel Jackson, why did we not go through that one instead of the one in the clearing," remarked Teal'c.  
  
"I'm not sure Teal'c, but it could have something to do with the minerals in the caves. Maybe the composition of the minerals prevents the gate from receiving incoming worm holes. What I am hoping is that it can produce outgoing ones. Maybe Sam could find it and get home that way."  
  
"How is she going to find it Daniel?" Jack growled. "She doesn't even know that it exists!"  
  
"Treyem has told his son about the other gate. If Sam manages to find the boy, he could help her locate it. It's all I have right now, sorry Jack." Daniel truly did look sorry. He was not the only member of SG-1 worry about Sam.  
  
"Could we not send a radio message to Major Carter and tell her of this gate's existence?" said Teal'c.  
  
"No." Jack looked at the video display again. "We can't risk having the Jaffa hear the message and finding Sam. Let's come up with a plan. The sooner we do the better chance we'll have of getting Carter back here, so I can ring her neck!"  
  
The other men looked at Jack with surprise and concern. They knew he was worried about Sam, and that he was also angry with her for disobeying orders. All hoped that when Sam returned (no one thought if), he would show more relief than anger upon her return.  
  
"Okay people. Let's get on this. Dr. Jackson. I want you to talk some more with Treyem and find out what else you can learn about this other gate. The rest of us will try to come up with a plan of action that won't endanger too many more lives."  
  
Meanwhile, back on the planet, Sam was creeping along the base of the ridge. She had to go slowly as the ridge had much loose rock and shale that tended to shift about, taking her with as she went. She had seen more Jaffa come into the clearing as she made her way up the closet ridge and back down to the bottom. She knew she couldn't take out all those Jaffa by herself, so concentrated on finding her way to the secret tunnel.  
  
The sun was starting its slow descent in the sky as Sam came to the base of Blasling Ridge. She knew it had to be the right ridge as she saw signs of homes and habitation up above. She strained her eyes to find a tunnel entrance in the ridge. There, about 20 meters up, was a dark entrance. Having it that hard to locate could come in handy, Sam thought to herself. She made her way up the ridge at a diagonal, hoping to keep her footing and disturb the rocks and shale as little as possible. After another 15 minutes of climbing, she reached the tunnel and pulled herself inside.  
  
Taking a few moments to catch her breath and take a drink from her canteen, Sam looked around the tunnel. It had definitely seen better days but, as far as she could see right now, it wasn't tumbling in on itself. She would need to use her flashlight as she made her way in the tunnel. Sam looked out at the sky. There appeared to be about 2 hours of daylight left. She'd better get moving. Not one to plan on good luck during any mission, Sam never the less breathed a silent plea that she would find Treyem's children and be able to get them out of here.  
  
Sam made her way down the dark tunnel. She could feel the incline start to rise after she had walked for about ten minutes. Hopefully this meant she was near to the meeting house, Sam thought to herself. Abruptly the tunnel ended. Great, now what? Sam flashed her light all around the dead end. Breathing a little easier, she saw an opening to her left, about four feet off the ground. This must lead into the meeting house, Sam thought to herself. The opening looked to be a bit too small for her to fit through with her pack on. Sam took her pack off, tucked her Zat into a loop on her pants and her canteen into another loop, grabbed her flashlight tightly and hoisted herself up.  
  
Crawling as soundlessly as possible, Sam made her way through the small tunnel. It reminded here of the vent she had crawled through on the Prometheus during the whole television documentary fiasco. After crawling on hands and knees for another 5 minutes, Sam came to a fork in the tunnel. It led off in two different directions. Which way to go? Sam shined her light down both ways. There appeared to be a faint light coming from the tunnel to the left. That could be either good or bad news. She decided to take it as good news and headed down the left side of the passageway.  
  
Sam crawled another 15 meters or so when the tunnel came to another end. This time there was no where else to go as a grate covered the end of the tunnel. She tested the grate; it was quite old and moved easily. Sam was able to pull the grate away from the opening. She held still for several seconds, listening for any indication that someone was aware of her presence. She heard nothing so looked carefully into the room.  
  
There was a large tapestry hanging just to the right of where Sam now crouched in the opening. In the dimness of the room, she could see a large table in the center, surrounded by several chairs. Along the walls were several benches and on these benches were dark figures, huddled together as if for warmth and security. There were no Jaffa in the room or on the outside of that far door, for which Sam was very thankful. She jumped lightly to the ground and stepped behind the folds of the tapestry.  
  
One of the huddled figures heard the jump and the slight rustle of the old fabric. He slowly stood from the bench he was resting on, making sure not to disturb the other one who was with him. He made to way to the tapestry and stopped short. A woman in green fatigues stepped out as well and regarded him carefully.  
  
TBC  
  
Cliffhanger time! Thanks again for reading. I have this entire story in my head, it is just a matter of getting it written and posted! 


	3. How Many?

How Many?  
  
Sam regarded the young man carefully. He was almost as tall as her, about 15 years old, with dark hair and dark eyes. There was something about his face that seemed familiar. He in turn was looking at Sam with a cautious, yet hopeful expression on his face. "Don't be afraid. My name is Major Samantha Carter. I am here to help you. I was sent by Treyem of Kortaul. Do you know him?"  
  
The expression in his face grew even more hopeful at this news. "Treyem is my father! I am Josef. My father is well? How about my mother?" His voice grew in volume as the realization dawned on him that his family had survived the attack by the fierce warriors.  
  
"Keep your voice down Josef. We don't want to alert the Jaffa to my presence. Yes, both of your parents are well. They have been sent to my planet for safety. We will join them there as soon as we can. Is your sister here as well?"  
  
"Yes, right over there," he said, pointing to the bench he had just vacated. "Kiera, come over here,' he whispered to his sister.  
  
A young girl of about 12 years came to stand beside her brother. She held on to his arm as he introduced her to Major Carter. "Kiera, this is Major Samantha Carter. Father sent her to us so that we could escape this place." Kiera smiled shyly at Sam. "Mother and Father are both safe. We will join them soon," continued Josef.  
  
"Josef, Kiera, you can call me Sam." She looked around the dim room and saw movement from other benches. "How many children are here with you?" she asked in a puzzled voice. She really had been expecting only to find the two of them, if she was lucky.  
  
"There are five others here with us Major Sam," replied Josef. He couldn't bring himself to just call her Sam. He was brought up to show respect to his elders, one of the ways to show respect was by the manner he addressed them. Calling her 'Major Sam' seemed to be a good compromise between her request and his upbringing.  
  
Sam smiled slightly at the form of address, then furrowed her brow. Seven children? How was she going to get seven children safely back to the Stargate without being detected?  
  
Kiera noticed the frown on Sam's forehead and quietly spoke up. "Major Sam," she copied her brother's form of address, "you will not leave any of them behind will you? They deserve to leave this place just as much as Josef and me. There are some here much younger than me, they can not be left." Upon saying this, a young girl about 5 years old came up to Kiera and tightly clutched the end of her tunic in her small hands.  
  
Sam looked at the little girl, smiled gently and said, "No Kiera, I will not leave any of these children behind. Gather them together quickly Josef. We must leave at once, before any of the guards come back. You can introduce me to the others once we have reached the main tunnel."  
  
Josef gathered the rest of the children, making sure they remained quiet, and brought them over to the opening in the wall. "Josef" instructed Sam, "I want you to climb in first and guide the children through this tunnel. It will meet with a main shaft after about 5 minutes. Continue down the main shaft another 5 minutes and you will come to the end of the shaft. You will have to jump down about 4 meters to get into the main tunnel. Help the children out and wait for me there."  
  
"All right Major Sam,' replied Josef in a strong voice. He was glad that Major Sam showed confidence in his ability to help in this rescue.  
  
Josef climbed into the opening first, followed by his sister, Kiera. Sam lifted up the little girl who had been clinging to Kiera and passed her up. "Follow Kiera OK?" said Sam. She was sure the little girl would be right on the older girl's heels. She then helped two young boys up, another girl, and finally another boy. Looking carefully around the room, Sam grabbed a sack of food that was left on the table, climbed into the opening, and quietly pulled the grate back into place. She followed the children down the vent passageways, extremely pleased at how quiet they were being.  
  
When Josef came to the end of the vent, he peered down into the larger tunnel. Thankfully, Major Sam had given him her flashlight and shown him how to use it. He flashed it around the area, saw nothing amiss, and jumped down. He proceeded to help the rest of the children climb down from the shaft. They waited a few feet from the opening, huddled around in a small circle, waiting for Sam to come through.  
  
Sam jumped softly to the ground and walked over to the children. "You all did a fantastic job," she praised them quietly. "Thank you for following Josef so well. As Josef told you, I am Major Sam and have come to get you out of here and bring you somewhere safe. I know Josef and Kiera, how about the rest of you tell me your names and ages?"  
  
Two boys who were holding tightly to each other's hands walked forward. "I am Kellan, I am 11 years old. This is my little brother Bryson," he indicated the boy holding his hand. "Bryson just turned 7 a few days ago." Bryson gave Sam a small smile, indicating two missing front teeth.  
  
Sam shook their hands with a smile. "I am very pleased to meet both of you," she said. Both boys had light brown hair and green eyes. You could tell right away that they were brothers. Sam was glad that they had each other; it would help the younger one to have his brother along.  
  
A lovely girl with long, blond hair stepped forward next. She looked to be about the same age as Kiera. "My name is Jalia," she said in a quiet voice. "I am 10 years old. Do you know if my parents are with Josef and Kiera's?" she asked.  
  
"I am sorry Jalia, I don't know. We will find out as soon as we get to my world. The people we found from your village, hiding in the caves by the Stargate, were taken to safety a while ago. If your parents were among them, they are safe."  
  
The last boy that Sam had helped into the vent stepped up next to Jalia. "My name is Teegan and I am nine," he cocked his head to the side and looked up at Sam. "Can you tell me what a Stargate is?"  
  
Sam chuckled to herself. In the midst of what had to be a frightening situation, Teegan showed his natural curiosity. He reminded her of Daniel...maybe this is what Daniel was like as a child. Teegan even had the same light brown hair and blue eyes as Daniel. She'd have to be sure and introduce them once they got back.  
  
"I'll tell you all about the Stargate once we get away from here, OK Teegan?"  
  
"OK," he smiled back at her.  
  
Sam went over to the smallest of their party and knelt down in front of her. "And who are you?" she asked in a gentle voice. She could tell that this youngster was extremely shy and frightened.  
  
"Her name is Anya," Kiera spoke up. "She hasn't talked since the warriors came. That was two days ago. She saw them beat her mother and take her away. Anya is five years old."  
  
Sam's heart ached for the little girl. She reached out and touched the bouncy blond curls on Anya's head. "I am sorry Anya. I promise I will take you somewhere safe, where you won't have to worry about those warriors anymore."  
  
Sam got up off the ground and addressed all of the children. "We are going to make our way down this tunnel. It will take about 15 minutes. I will shine my light ahead of us a bit but we all need to stay close. I want each of you to hold at least one other person's hand, OK? And no talking. I don't know if the Jaffa will be able to hear us, but we want to make certain they can't."  
  
"What are the Jaffa?" asked the inquisitive Teegan.  
  
"It's the name of the warriors who came to your village," replied Sam. "Everyone ready?"  
  
All of the children nodded and grasped the hand of someone near them. Sam ended up holding onto Teegan's small hand. "Let's go," she whispered quietly.  
  
They made their way down the tunnel in silence. Sam's flashlight scanned back and forth in front of her, lighting their way in the dark. Just as she was about to reach the end of the tunnel, she heard the sound of larger footsteps scraping against the rocky ground behind them. Quickly, Sam pushed the children against the side of the tunnel, indicated with her hands that they should scrunch down, and turned off the flashlight. The footsteps stopped momentarily, then began again, although moving a bit slower.  
  
"Stay here," Sam whispered to the children. "I'll be right back."  
  
She grabbed her Zat gun firmly in her right hand and stepped away from the children. She was going to meet whoever was following them head on. She had promised these kids that she would get them out of here and, by God, she would!  
  
Sam could tell that there was only one person behind them due to the cadence of the footsteps. She pressed herself against the wall, gave a slow count of 3, turned and shined her light down the middle of the tunnel. There, no more than 20 feet in front of her, was a Jaffa. She didn't know how the hell he had gotten down there but wasn't going to take the time to ask him. Raising their weapons at the same time, Sam fired first then dove to the side and rolled. She felt a searing pain as the blast grazed her left arm. Knowing she didn't have time to think about the wound, she directed her light back to the Jaffa. She was relieved to see him lying on the ground, out cold. Without even stopping to think about it, Sam blasted her Zat at him two more times, effectively getting rid of the menace that was this particular Jaffa.  
  
Holding her left arm up slightly with her right, Sam slowly made her way back to the children. They had remained exactly where she had left them, for which she was extremely grateful. As soon as they saw her though, they clambered around her, eyes wide with fear.  
  
"Major Sam! Major Sam! Are you OK? We were so scared. What happened?" they all began to talk at once.  
  
"SHHH!" Sam whispered loudly. "I'm OK, but we need to move out of the tunnel and find somewhere safe to rest. Don't worry; no one else is following us." Sam prayed that this was true as she led the children out of the cave and onto the side of Blasling Ridge. TBC  
  
I hope you are enjoying the story! Please review. We'll check in at the SGC in the next chapter to see how the guys are doing. 


	4. Plan B

Plan B  
  
Jack O'Neill was in the gym, the beating the daylights out of the punching bag. It had been almost 12 hours since they left P3X-471. No word from Carter, no approval to launch a rescue attempt. The MALP that had been left on the planet, that at last check showed 10 Jaffa and 2 cannons, had been destroyed by the Jaffa. They were going to send a UAV at 0800 tomorrow. He didn't know how he was going to wait that long. He kept going over his final, curt words to Sam. He was starting to doubt the wisdom of his actions and that made him even more frustrated: he rarely doubted himself, especially on missions. He continued to punch the bag, not hearing Teal'c come into the gym.  
  
"O'Neill," the deep voice of his Jaffa friend resonated through the empty gym.  
  
Jack stopped momentarily, then continued to hit the bag even harder, if that were possible.  
  
Teal'c came in closer and stood beside the punching bag, which was beginning to have a large dent in the middle. "O'Neill, did you not tell me that this bag was to be used for making short, quick hits in order to improve one's dexterity? You do not seem to be using it for its rightful purpose."  
  
"Yeah, well... it's serving its purpose... just fine... for me... right now," Jack continued to jab hard at the bag as he spoke. He was quickly running out of breath and steam. Teal'c thought it prudent to stop O'Neill's actions immediately.  
  
"You must stop O'Neill. You must have your body well rested and have all of your strength should we be called upon to embark on the rescue mission for Major Carter."  
  
Those words made Jack stop his assault on the punching bag. Lowering his arms to his side, he breathed deeply, trying to slow his racing heart. Jack slowly walked away from the punching bag and tore off the gloves he had been wearing. He tossed the gloves into a corner of the gym and looked up at Teal'c.  
  
"Why did she do it T? Why would she disobey my direct orders and go and try to find some children who may or may not have been in the village?"  
  
"I do not know O'Neill. Major Carter must have felt there was some reason to investigate the claims of Treyem of Kortaul. She has been known to go by her instincts before O'Neill."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but never against orders. I'm starting to think I didn't make the right call here T. You know I would never leave kids behind if I knew about them, right?"  
  
"Indeed I do O'Neill. But you are also a warrior and a leader who must make difficult decisions. Treyem did not know for sure if his children were taken to this meeting house. He just saw the children being led in that direction. They could have been taken to a holding area in the village or ringed up to a waiting ship. As you said yourself, we did not have sufficient information to go into the village and look for the children of Treyem. Were we not also under direct orders to return the defense device to Earth? If we had not, the SGC may have temporarily ceased to continue its operations. "  
  
"Yeah, you're right T. I still wonder if I should have tried something different. If there just would have been more time..." Jack paused, reliving everything that had occurred on the planet. "I appreciate your directness though Teal'c. Thanks."  
  
"You are most welcome O'Neill," responded Teal'c, bowing slightly toward his good friend.  
  
"Let me get cleaned up and then we'll visit Daniel, see if he has any new information," Jack told his friend as they walked toward the locker rooms.  
  
"I will wait for you out here O'Neill," Teal'c responded as Jack walked into the locker room for a quick shower.  
  
Twenty minutes later the two men entered Daniel's lab and found him pouring through some books. He looked up as they entered the room. "Any news from General Hammond?"  
  
"No," Jack replied. "How about you? Anything new from Treyem that might help us get Carter back?"  
  
"Not much else that I didn't tell you before. The other gate is located a few day's journey south of the village. Treyem took his son Josef a day's journey in that direction a few months ago. He told Josef that it is located at the base of where four ridges come together. There are many caves around the area there, but the one that holds the other Stargate has a unique boulder in front of it. Oh, and Treyem mentioned that there was a smaller devise next to the gate, like the one in the clearing. I am assuming he is referring to the DHD."  
  
"That's all well and good, Danny, but this won't really help us or Carter, will it?"  
  
"Only if she actually finds Treyem's kids, gets them away from the Jaffa and thinks to ask about another Stargate," responded Daniel dejectedly. They all knew the chances of all of these things happening were remote at best.  
  
Jack sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. "Okay. It appears as if we have to hope that Carter was able to lay low somewhere for a while and is waiting for the gate to clear. The gate we came through," he stated, looking directly at Daniel. "The best we can do right now is wait for morning and see what the UAV shows. General Hammond is also trying to contact the Tok'ra to see if they can help out. They damn well better – we went to retrieve that stupid devise on their insistence. They owe us!"  
  
Daniel and Teal'c nodded in agreement. Jack and Teal'c left to see if General Hammond had heard from the Tok'ra. Daniel continued to study his books, seeing if he could find anything about a planet with two Stargates.  
  
Sam looked around carefully at the entrance to the tunnel. Not seeing anything amiss on the ridge, she motioned to the children to follow her. Kellan carried the bag of food Sam had retrieved from the room and Josef hoisted her pack onto his back. She was amazed at the willingness of these children to shoulder some of the work load. After all, they must all be frightened and a bit unsure about what might happen next. She sure was!  
  
Sam took them the same way she had come up, walking a diagonal course in order to prevent as much slipping on the loose rock and shale as possible. Behind her, Anya slipped in the rock and landed on her knees. Sam turned around, ready to go and pick up the little girl, but saw that Josef had beaten her to it. He picked Anya up off the ground, wiped off her leggings, and grabbed her hand, ready to continue down the ridge. Sam smiled thankfully at Josef and continued the trek down the ridge.  
  
When they came to the bottom, she led them to a spot that was fairly hidden. There were large boulders resting in a half circle with several scraggly shrubs and trees around them. There was also a small stream within a few feet; Sam would need the water to clean up her wound and refill the canteen. The children sat in a half circle behind the boulders, shielded from view from the top of the ridge. Anya climbed into Kiera's lap and rested her head against her the older girl's chest.  
  
"You have done a great job so far," she said, looking at each child in turn. "I am so proud of all of you! We're going to rest for a few minutes, then I'll tell you about the next part of our adventure." Sam took her canteen off of her belt loop and passed it around. "I want each of you to take 2 swallows of water, then pass it to the next person OK?"  
  
Josef took the canteen and passed it to Kiera so she could help Anya first. Then he looked at Sam's arm. "What about your arm Major Sam? It doesn't look good," he stated as he looked over the red area on her upper arm.  
  
"I'll be all right Josef. The blast barely touched me. Don't worry." Sam took off her vest and long sleeved jacket, which now had a nice hole in it. Instant air conditioning, as the Colonel had been known to say! She took a bandana out of her pack and walked to the stream where she proceeded to wash off the wound. She gasped as the water first hit her wound; it hurt more than she liked to admit. She glanced at the children and smiled reassuringly at them. No sense in making them worry any more than necessary.  
  
After cleaning the area, Sam dipped the bandana in the stream again and wrapped it around her arm. She came back to her pack and sat down, taking out a roll of gauze. "Jalia, can you help me wrap this around my arm please?"  
  
"Yes Major Sam," replied Jalia, getting up from the ground and coming over to Sam. "Major Sam? Are you going to die?", she asked as she helped wrap Sam's arm. The other children looked at Sam and anxiously awaited her answer.  
  
"No Jalia, I am not going to die. It's only a small wound, like when you burn yourself if you get too close to a fire."  
  
"It's just....I saw some people in our village get hit by the fire stick. They didn't get back up," Jalia said in a very quiet voice.  
  
"Oh Jalia, I am so sorry you had to see something like that," and she hugged the girl closely to her. "I promise you...all of you...that I am just fine. We will get through this together OK?"  
  
The children nodded at Sam and tried to give her small smiles. After Jalia had finished helping Sam wrap her arm, Sam was ready to share the next phase of the plan with them. She felt that they should know as much as possible about what would happen. It would hopefully help to lessen their anxiety.  
  
"I am going to go up the next ridge to see if the Stargate is clear so that we can bring you to my planet, Earth. I need all of you to stay here and remain quiet OK? I shouldn't be gone more than 15 minutes. Josef," she turned to the oldest boy, "I am going to give you this Zat gun. I don't think you'll need it but we need to be safe. Shoot it once if you see any Jaffa. It will knock them out until I get back." She didn't want to tell him about shooting it twice. He didn't need to worry about the ramifications of killing someone, even if it was a Jaffa.  
  
"I will guard the rest of the children Major Sam. Don't worry."  
  
"I won't Josef. OK, I'll be back soon. Remember, stay down." With those final instructions, Sam was off, keeping hidden by the rocks and trees in the valley. She came to the ridge that led up to the Stargate and quietly made her way to the top, going a bit further west to make sure she skirted any sentries who were out.  
  
Sam came to the top of the ridge and stopped to catch her breath. She was moving faster than normal as she didn't want to leave the children alone for too long. After a minute, she grabbed her small binoculars, turned around and slowly peeked around a large rock at the top of the ridge. Oh Crap! She whispered to herself. There, in front of the Stargate, were 10 Jaffa and two staff canons. The MALP stood near the gate, burnt and blackened from a staff blast, no doubt. Sam sank back behind the rock and hung her head. Now what? There was no way on Earth, or P3X-471, that she could take out 10 Jaffa and 2 canons on her own. Time to go to Plan B. Problem was, she didn't have a Plan B at the moment. She'd think of something, she had to. There were seven innocent children depending on her and she would not let them down!  
  
TBC soon – very soon! 


	5. A Long Hike

  
**A Long Hike**  
  
Sam made her way back to where the children were waiting and sank down next to them. "Everything OK here Josef?" she asked.  
  
"Yes Major Sam, we are fine. Will we be going up to the Stargate now?"  
  
Sam looked carefully at the trusting faces of the children. She had to word things cautiously here. "Not just yet. There are many Jaffa warriors surrounding the Stargate. They have some large weapons as well. I'm afraid that I can't get them away from there all by myself. I think we might have to find somewhere safe to stay for a while until either they leave, or some of my friends try and come back for me."  
  
"There are many caves around the base of the ridge," Kellan said. "We could stay in one of them for a while."  
  
"Good Idea Kellan. I know that some of the people from your village stayed in caves to the north of the Stargate. I don't want us to go there, though because the Jaffa are too close to that area."  
  
Josef had been looking thoughtfully at the ground while Major Sam and Kellan were discussing the caves. He glanced to the ridge where the Stargate was hidden, and then looked to the south. "Major Sam," he interrupted the conversation with Kellan. "Do we have to use that Stargate to get back to your planet?"  
  
"Yes Josef. The only way to get back to Earth is to use the Stargate. It is how we travel to other worlds."  
  
"No, I mean, do we have to use THAT Stargate. Could we use another one?" implored the 15 year old.  
  
Sam looked at Josef in puzzlement. "Well, technically, we could use any Stargate, but most planets only have one on them. Though we did find another one on Earth several years ago, we haven't found another planet with 2 Stargates since then. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I believe that there is another Stargate on our planet Major Sam," replied Josef confidently.  
  
"What? Are you sure about this Josef?" Sam had a hard time believing that there might possibly be another Stargate here. Why didn't the Tok'ra know about it? Why didn't they gate there? There were so many questions that she had. She'd better just stick to the basics and see if there was even the most remote possibility that this was true.  
  
"My father told me about this other gate a few years ago. He went with his father to visit a village south of here when he was my age. They traveled for two days and came to a place when the four great ridges meet. At the bottom of the ridges, are many great and wondrous caves. One of the caves had a large, pointed boulder at its entrance. When my father and grandfather went to explore the cave, they found another great stone circle, just like the one up there," and Josef pointed up to where the other Stargate was located.  
  
"Did your father or grandfather tell anyone else in the village about the other gate?" questioned Sam.  
  
"I think they told the elders of the village. Since we do not use the Stargate, I don't think anyone thought it was very important. I don't know of anyone else who went to see the other gate." Josef looked at the other children. "Have any of you heard about this other Stargate from your families?"  
  
The other children all shook their heads. They had never heard about it. They didn't even know much about the great stone circle that was close to their village, just that it was fun to jump through when your parents weren't around watching!  
  
Sam carefully considered what Josef had been telling her. If he was right, there might be another way to get off of this planet and get the children back to Earth. "Josef, do you think you could find where this other gate is?"  
  
"My father took me as far as the end of the valley once. It is a day's journey. From there, he pointed the direction to me and told me it was another full day's journey. You have to travel through a forest for a way but always can see the Wasling Ridge as you walk through the forest. There is only one place where the four great ridges meet. I think I could find it easily," responded Josef.  
  
The children remained quiet as Sam contemplated this turn in events. Could the children withstand a two, possibly three day journey through the valley and over ridges to find this other Stargate? They were all wearing long sleeved tunics with leggings underneath. Their shoes were made of sturdy leather which should help them on their journey. The temperature was quite moderate so she didn't feel as if the elements would be a problem. She had the food she took from the meeting house, about a dozen energy bars and five MRE's in her pack. The stream seemed to travel along this valley for quite a while so water shouldn't be a problem. The smaller children might have a harder time, but she and the older ones could help them along. Her mind made up, Sam took a deep breath and addressed her group of seven.  
  
"Okay, we are going to take a bit of a hike and try to find the other Stargate. It might get a little tough for us but I know that all of you can do it. We'll help each other out and take things slowly."  
  
"Are we going to leave now?" asked Teegan. He was actually quite tired and didn't think he could walk much farther.  
  
"No Teegan," Sam took his hand in hers. "It is getting too dark." She looked up at the setting sun, figuring they only had about 30 more minutes until it went behind the ridge for the night. "We'll find a cave to stay in tonight, then head out in the morning, OK?  
  
"Good," the little boy replied. "'cause I am getting tired and hungry."  
  
Sam laughed gently at the little boy who reminded her of Daniel. "I am too! Let's refill the canteen and head out. Kellan, do you know of some caves to the south of here? I think it will be safer than the caves up near the Stargate."  
  
"Yes, Major Sam. There are some other caves around the bend of the stream."  
  
"Great. Let's go troops!" Sam tries to interject some enthusiasm into her voice. She wanted the children, especially the younger ones, to think of this as a grand adventure! She stopped and refilled the canteen, dropped a water purification tablet into the container, and hefted her pack onto her back. The children followed Sam as Kellan led them to the south, away from their village and the frightening warriors who had taken them from their families.  
  
The small group made their way down the stream and turned south as the stream meandered in the same direction. Kellan walked a few more meters, then stopped and pointed to the right. "There are 3 caves up there Major Sam. They are all big enough for us."  
  
Sam looked at the cave entrances. Two of them were too far up to climb right now. The sun nearing ever closer to the top of the ridge and she didn't want anyone stumbling in the dark. The other one was easily accessible but she felt it was too easy to see should any Jaffa come patrolling the valley. "Kellan, are there any other caves close by? I was thinking about something that was a little more hidden from view, but not too hard to climb up to."  
  
Kellan thought for a minute then smiled at Sam. "Follow me." He led them for another 3 minutes then stopped and pointed to his right. "Do you see that cave there?"  
  
Sam looked carefully. All she saw were shrubs. Then, about 5 meters up, she saw a small dark opening, half of it covered by the shrubs. "Perfect Kellan," she smiled at the boy. "Let's head up there everyone!"  
  
It was an easy climb to the cave's entrance. Sam shined her flashlight and looked around inside. It was a bit smaller than the briefing room with some ledges near the back. There appeared to be several grass mats on the ground by the ledges. Kellan came up to stand beside her as she looked at the mats.  
  
"My friend Roan and I found this cave last year during the dry season. We came here a lot when we wanted to be alone," he stated quietly.  
  
Sam looked at Kellan and noticed that his eyes were moist. She remembered that Treyem had told her there were 10 children in the village. She had seven of them, that meant 3 were missing, one of them obviously Kellan's friend Roan. Sam got the other children settled on the mats, handed them each a chuck of bread from the bag of food she had taken from the meeting house, and then led Kellan and Josef away from the others. She wanted to find out about the other 3 children from the village.  
  
"Kellan, do you know what happened to Roan?"  
  
"When I was being taken into the meeting house, I saw two Jaffa leading Roan and his sister Shayla to the courtyard. They stopped in the middle and some large rings came down. The rings went back up, and they were gone." Kellan began to cry silent tears. Sam put her arms around the boy and hugged him tightly. He pulled away, a bit embarrassed at his tears, and began to eat his bread.  
  
"I saw the same thing happen to Shosona. She was a friend of Kiera's, also twelve years old," Josef added.  
  
So, Sam thought to herself, there was obviously a ship in orbit around the planet. She wondered once again who these Jaffa were serving. She had been unable to get a clear view of the cartouche on their foreheads. They were obviously here for the same reason that SG-1 came to the planet, for the weapon. Unfortunately for the people of Kortaul, the Goa'uld had also acquired a few new hosts in the bargain. Sam thought sadly of the three missing children. She wished she could have rescued them as well. She shook herself from her thoughts; she had much planning to do before the start of their long hike tomorrow.  
  
A/N: I'd just like to thank everyone for all of the wonderful reviews so far and hope you are enjoying the story. Get a good night's sleep, because the hike starts tomorrow! 


	6. Moving Along

Moving along  
  
Sam watched the children sleeping on the mats. They were all huddled together under the blanket she had found in her pack. She smiled as Bryson mumbled in his sleep, then turned and snuggled closer to his brother. They were all such wonderful kids. Even though she was not the praying kind, she sent up a small prayer that these children would be reunited with their parents once they got back to Earth.  
  
Sam looked out at the night sky. It was clear tonight, the bright stars twinkled in the sky as it slowly changed to a light shade of pink. She had dozed lightly on and off, not wanting to fall into a deep sleep should they have any 'unexpected visitors'. Josef had come over a few hours ago and offered to take watch so that she could rest, but she declined. She just didn't feel comfortable sleeping while a 15 year old boy watched over the group. Maybe this next night she would. She knew she would need some sleep in order to be fully awake and functional as they trekked south. What she wouldn't give for a cup of Daniel's gourmet coffee!  
  
An hour later, the children began to wake up. Sam showed them where the "facilities" were, then had them wash up at the stream before handing out more bread for breakfast. When they had all finished eating, Sam packed up their meager supplies and got the children ready to leave the confines of the cave.  
  
"Should I bring along the mats, Major Sam?" inquired Kellan. "We can use them to rest on during our hike and again to sleep on at night."  
  
"That's a wonderful idea Kellan. Here's some rope. You can roll the mats up and tie them tightly with the rope."  
  
"Can I carry the mats," piped up Bryson. He had seen his older brother helping out a lot and wanted to help too.  
  
"Sure Bryson. Everyone can take turns carrying the mats. That way we can all help," Sam replied. She continued to be impressed by the children's eagerness to help each other.  
  
They set off, following the stream to the south. It was easy walking along the bottom of the ridges, the rocks were not as loose and the ground by the stream was packed down due to the moisture. Sam made sure the children didn't walk in the muddy areas: she didn't want to leave any footprints for the Jaffa warriors to follow.  
  
After they had walked for a little over an hour, they heard a loud explosion coming from the south. Looking to the sky, Sam saw a bright flash of light and debris falling from the area that would be near to the Stargate. She had the children duck quickly into the brush along their path as she went back a few meters to see if she could discern what had happened. From the sound of the explosion and the debris she saw fall to the ground, Sam was sure that the Jaffa who guarded the gate had just shot down a UAV. Damn, she thought to herself! They were trying to reach her from the SGC and she had no way of letting them know that she was safe and what her plan was. She knew her team must be frustrated at not being able to come back and locate her...she had felt the same way many times in the past.  
  
For the first time since she took off on her own, Sam felt badly about her decision. Not to come back and try and find the children, she knew that was the right choice. But that she didn't have time to fully disclose her plans to someone on her team. For their sakes, she hoped they wouldn't try and come through the gate. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, or worse, on her account, especially since she would no longer be in vicinity. If they came through, they would never find her.  
  
Sam made her way back to the children. "It's all right, you can come out now."  
  
The children stood up and came to stand around her. Anya held on to Sam's hand and looked up at her with fear and questions in her eyes. "Do you know what that was Major Sam?' asked Jalia.  
  
"I think the Jaffa shot down a plane that the people from Earth sent through the gate. The plane flies in the sky and is able to find people who might be missing. I believe they were looking for us," Sam replied.  
  
"But now they can't find us can they?" Jalia asked sadly.  
  
"No honey, they can't. But that doesn't matter. We are going to the other Stargate so they won't need to come and look for us. Won't they be surprised when we come through by ourselves?" Sam gave the children a big smile. She looked down at Anya to reassure the littlest one. Anya smiled back and continued to hold Sam's hand as they resumed their journey to the south.  
  
[]  
  
0800 – Gateroom at the SGC.  
  
"All right airman, send the UAV through," directed General Hammond.  
  
The three remaining members of SG-1 watched as the UAV shot out of its moorings and headed through the gate. They turned their gazes to the monitors which would show the progress of the plane as it rematerialized on the other side.  
  
"UAV should come through in 5...4...3...2....1," counted down Sergeant Davis. "Visual is up."  
  
All eyes watched the screen as a brief image of the clearing emerged, showing the many Jaffa and the two cannons below. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and the image disappeared from the monitors.  
  
"What the hell happened?" yelled Jack in a very frustrated tone of voice.  
  
"It appears that the UAV was hit by a cannon blast O'Neill. There is little doubt that it has been destroyed," remarked Teal'c. He was as disappointed as his good friend but, as always, kept a stoic expression on his face.  
  
"Great. Just great. Now what? Can we send another one through General?" he asked his commanding officer.  
  
"No son. I'm sorry but we can't afford to lose another UAV. I'm afraid that there will be no rescue mission launched at this time." The General truly was sorry. Samantha Carter was more than a fine officer to him; she was almost like a daughter.  
  
"Any new information from the Tok'ra General? Maybe they can send a ship..." Daniel faltered at the look on General Hammond's face.  
  
"The Tok'ra are unable to send a ship at this time. They have an operative in the area who is looking into the matter, but so far, has nothing to report on Major Carter's whereabouts. They are as unwilling as I am to send people into what is a very difficult situation. I am sorry gentlemen; there is really nothing more we can do at this moment. I suggest you all take some time to rest and regroup."  
  
"So, are you declaring Carter MIA, General?"  
  
General Hammond looked at Jack. While he did not appreciate the tone of voice that question had been delivered in, he did understand it and chose not to rebuke the officer.  
  
"No Jack, I am not declaring Major Carter MIA. We will give it another day or two and try to send another MALP through. In the meantime, I will try and convince the President to approve sending a large explosive through the gate. I'll warn you right now, though; he is not thrilled at the idea. I'm not too sure of it myself. We could do more harm than good." He turned and left the control room, heading to his office to see about contacting the President.  
  
"What now?" asked Daniel to no one in particular.  
  
"I guess we continue to do what we have been doing Daniel...absolutely nothing!" With that comment, Jack turned and left the control room, going in the opposite direction of General Hammond.  
  
[]  
  
They had walked for several hours and Sam noticed the children starting to drag. She decided it was time to call a halt and rest in the shade. They needed to eat as well to keep up their strength. Kiera had found some edible berries along the way and had gathered them up, along with the help of the other children. They still had a few loaves of bread and the food that was in Sam's pack. They should be all right as far as food and water was concerned, especially if they continued to find berries along the way.  
  
Kellan unrolled the mats and they all sat down in the shade of some large trees to rest and eat their lunch. Bryson and Anya, the youngest of the group, ate their portions and lay down on the mats, their heads resting on each of Sam's thighs. She smiled down at the two sleepy children. She would really like to join them in an afternoon nap right about now! Actually, it might not be a bad idea for all of the children to rest for 30 minutes. They had traveled quite a way already, and still had far to go.  
  
"Why don't the rest of you lie down as well?" Sam quietly directed the children. "We have a lot more walking ahead of us this afternoon."  
  
The older children were also tired, so didn't argue, even thought they felt they were way too olds for naps! They lay down on the mats, scattered about like a litter of puppies. Sam relaxed against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes as well. She would rest for a while too. She felt safe here...they were far enough away from the village and she didn't think the Jaffa would be all that interested in venturing this far.  
  
A shuffling to her right woke Sam with a start. She looked around and didn't see anything other than Teegan sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes. Sam looked at her watch. Shoot! She had slept for an hour!  
  
"Wake up everyone, we need to get moving. We all slept a bit too long!" Sam roused the children from their sleep and went to refill the canteen. She noticed some of the children were looking a little red so she dug out her sunscreen and applied it to faces and necks. Once the mats were rolled up again, they continued on their journey.  
  
They stopped and rested every two hours until Sam could see where the valley ended in the distance. She stopped walking and called Josef to her. "Is that where your father took you when you walked this route with him?"  
  
"Yes," answered Josef. "It is getting closer but is still a little more than hour's walk from here. We should make it before the sun sets though."  
  
Sam looked to the sky. Josef was right; they had plenty of sunlight left. She looked to the littlest children. They looked exhausted. "Okay everyone, we still have a while to walk. I think we are going to need to help Anya and Bryson though. Teegan, could you carry my pack while I take Anya? Josef, how about if you carry Bryson on your back for a while. When you get tired, you and Kellan can switch."  
  
"I can carry Anya if you get tired Major Sam," said Kiera.  
  
"Thank you Kiera. For now, I'd like you, Jalia and Kellan to collect more berries for us to eat for dinner. OK?"  
  
The children all nodded their heads at their new jobs. Sam scrunched down for Anya to climb on her back while Josef did the same for Bryson. When everyone was ready, they continued on.  
  
"Major Sam," called Josef from the head of the group. It had been an hour since Sam had taken Anya and her back was starting to get sore. Kiera had offered to take the little girl for a while but Sam could tell the older girl looked tired and didn't want to wear her out.  
  
"Yes Josef?"  
  
"We are almost to the end of the valley. We can climb the ridge now and sleep in the forest or stay here for the night. I believe there are some caves up ahead that we could stay in."  
  
Sam knew the children couldn't take a hike up that steep hill today. She didn't know if she could make it! Were treks with the Colonel this tiring? Of course, she usually had plenty of sleep before those treks, as the Colonel made sure his team was well rested. She would need to make sure her team was well rested as well!  
  
"Let's find a cave Josef. I think we are all ready to call it a day."  
  
They continued on for twenty more minutes before Josef stopped and indicated a cave to their right. Sam wasn't quite as concerned that it be as well hidden this time, but felt she better check it out on her own, just in case. She placed Anya on the ground beside Kiera with instructions for all of the children to drink some water and eat some of the berries. Then Sam climbed the small incline to the cave. It appeared to be uninhabited and roomy enough for all of them. The last thing she wanted was to share a cave with a wild animal!  
  
Sam made her way back to the children and plopped on the ground, glad to be off of her feet for a while. "The cave looks safe. We'll stay here for tonight, then head up to the forest in the morning. I think we are far enough away from the Jaffa to have a small fire. I can cook up a hot meal for us to share."  
  
The children gave great big smiles at this news. They would never complain, but were growing tired of bread and berries.  
  
After refilling the canteen and cleaning themselves up in the stream, they all headed up to the cave. Sam built a small fire and cooked three of the instant meals. They could share the meals along with the bread and berries. As they ate, Sam told them about Earth and the wonderful people who worked at the SGC. She also promised them that they would get to try some ice cream, a delicious dessert from her home world. By them time dinner was finished and things cleaned up, everyone was tired and ready for some sleep.  
  
Sam laid out the mats and blanket and the children snuggled in and fell asleep instantly. All except for Josef. He had seen how tired Major Sam looked and insisted that she wake him later in the night so she could sleep while he took watch. This time, Sam readily agreed with the boy. Tomorrow would be another long day and she would need her rest, just like the others.  
  
TBC ( 


	7. Making Our Way

**Making Our Way**

****   
  
Sam awoke to early morning light seeping into the cave. Her muscles were aching from having slept on the hard ground. At least she had slept. She felt much more refreshed than she had the day before. Sam looked over to Josef, who sat with his back against the cave wall, looking out into the valley. She made her way over to him and sat down.  
  
"Anything happening out there?" she asked quietly. She wanted to give the other children a few more minutes of sleep: it was bound to be another long day for them.  
  
"No Major Sam, everything has been quiet," responded Josef. The older boy had dark circles under his eyes. He wasn't used to staying up half the night, but had been happy to take watch so Major Sam could sleep.  
  
"You did a great job Josef. I really appreciated being able to get some sleep."  
  
Josef smiled at her then looked toward the ridge they were to climb today. "The climb will be steep Major Sam. The littler ones are going to need some help getting up, but I don't think we can carry them on our backs like we did yesterday."  
  
Sam eyed the incline as well and thought for a few minutes. "I think I have an idea. I have a long piece of rope in my bag. We'll tie seven knots in it and have everyone hang on just above a knot. That way, if anyone slips, we can stop and the nearest person can help. I'll take the lead and can pull to help the rest of you get up the hill. I'd better have Anya behind me so I can grab her hand if necessary. I think you had better take the rear so you can catch anyone who might slip and let go of the rope."  
  
"But what about your arm? You won't be able to pull on the rope with your sore arm," replied Josef.  
  
"I'll use my right arm. Don't worry Josef, the arm is feeling pretty good." She didn't add that the arm still throbbed every now and again. Josef didn't need to worry about her when she was placing so much responsibility on his shoulders already. Besides, she would take some Tylenol before they headed out.  
  
Getting to her feet and pulling Josef after her, they made their way to the sleeping children to get them up and ready to go. They needed to get started if they were going to traverse the forest in one day.  
  
After eating a quick breakfast, they broke camp and headed to the steep hill that would lead them out of the valley and into the forest. Sam had told the children of her plan as they ate. The rope was ready with seven knots for the children to hold onto. Sam had also made a large loop at the front of the rope for her to hold onto as she led the way up the hill.  
  
The going was slow. Every now and again, one of the children would slip so the whole group would have to stop and wait for him/her to get to their feet. At the half way mark, Anya slipped and let go of the rope. Fortunately, Kiera was right behind her and was able to grab the little girl before she slid too far. Anya's eyes were full of tears as she made her way back to her place behind Sam. Sam grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly.  
  
"Don't worry Anya, we're almost to the top. Why don't you hold my hand for a while instead of the rope OK?"  
  
Anya clutched Sam's left hand as they continued the climb to the top. Sam could feel the climb start to even out as they neared the top. She looked back at the children and called out in an encouraging voice, "We're almost there. Just a few more steps."  
  
Sam reached the top and pulled Anya up and over the hill to the flat grassy area at the edge of the forest. She then proceeded to give a hand to each of the children as they reached the crest of the hill. Once they were all safely to the top, Sam sat on the ground with the children, trying to catch her breath. She passed around the canteen and once again praised them for their hard work. Anya had a few scratches on her leg but otherwise, the children had come through unscathed.  
  
After a 10 minute rest, Sam was anxious to get going. Josef wasn't sure from this point on how far they had to travel. Her goal was to get to the other Stargate by early tomorrow, if not sooner. She had no idea if the gate would even be operational, so might have to put in some extra time to get it to work. She would also need to find water sources along the way. There would most likely not be a convenient stream along their path.  
  
Sam packed away the rope and got the children up and ready to continue on. Josef pointed to a faint path that led into the forest. He reminded her that they would need to continue south, as that was where the four great ridges met. Sam pulled out her compass just to make sure they were headed in the correct direction, then led them into the forest.  
  
It was much cooler amidst the tall trees of the forest. The floor of the forest was soft with fallen leaves and moss. The trek didn't seem as arduous and the children talked quietly among themselves as they went. Josef walked with Sam, pointing out some of the native plants and telling her of some of their purposes. His grandmother had been a healer in the village and so Josef and Kiera had learned many uses of various plants in the region. Kiera was well versed in which plants were actually edible, so Sam asked her to collect some as they walked along.  
  
When the sun had reached its zenith in the sky, Sam decided they had better stop and eat soon. She really wanted to find a source of water first, but wouldn't take the children too much farther: she didn't want to wear them out already. Through the trees up ahead, Kellan noticed an area of brightness that seemed to sparkle in the noon light.  
  
"Major Sam, I think there is some water up ahead." He pointed to where he was looking, ahead and to the left of the trail.  
  
Sure enough, there was a clearing and a small pond. Sam smiled happily and led the children over to the pond. Kellan spread out the mats and they all plopped down with loud sighs as they rested their weary legs.  
  
Sam pulled four energy bars out of her pack and broke them in half. These, along with some berries and the plants that Kiera had collected made up their lunch. They ate in quiet, enjoying the coolness by the pond and the chirping of the birds in the trees. They finished the water in the canteen and Sam went to refill it by the pond.  
  
When she returned Bryson asked if they were going to take naps again today. Secretly, he rather hoped they were: he was feeling tired again but didn't want to admit to it out loud. The seven year old didn't want his brother to think he was a baby!  
  
Sam looked around at the children. Some of them looked a bit tired, but not as bad as on the previous day. "I would really like to keep going if we can Bryson. We have a long journey through the forest today. Josef and I aren't sure just how far we have to go. Do you think you can continue on?"  
  
"I can!" Teegan said importantly. He was after all nine years old, he didn't need a nap!  
  
The others nodded in agreement, even Anya. "OK then, we'll continue," said Sam. "But we'll stop often to rest and if Anya or Bryson need a lift, they can have another piggy back ride. How does that sound?"  
  
"Great!" yelled Bryson. He had really enjoyed his ride yesterday!  
  
Sam smiled at the toothless grin of the young boy. He sure was adorable! She gathered the supplies and children together and they headed back into the forest, careful to remain together and on the faint path.  
  
They continued on, much like they had the previous afternoon. Sam stopped every hour or so to let the children rest and have drinks of water. They found another small pond along the way so she was able to refill the canteen again. She wasn't quite as worried about the water anymore. If there was this much green vegetation, there had to be ample water sources around.  
  
Just about the time she was ready to stop for another meal, the trees opened up to show another clearing. This time, there was no pond surrounded by lush grass; the forest gave way to a rocky outcropping which dropped abruptly to a deep ravine below. On the other side of the ravine, she could see the path being swallowed once again by the large trees of the forest. What she couldn't see was a way to get over the ravine. She looked at Josef and he returned her gaze. His father had failed to mention a ravine along the way to the second stone circle. What were they to do next?

[][][]

TBC – Another cliff hanger! Next chapter is already in the works! Thanks again for the continued reviews.


	8. Crossings

Crossings  
  
Sam and the children looked at the ravine in front of them. They could possibly climb down it and back to the top on the other side, but that would take several hours. From where they stood, she couldn't see a bridge of any sort to the east or the west. We can't have come this far only to have to turn around again? Sam thought to herself.  
  
"Stay here everyone. I'm going to go closer to the edge and see if I can find a way over to the other side." With those words, Sam slowly edged her way to the side of the ravine and looked down. It was a long way down...about 15 meters. She noticed something unusual to her left. Down about 3 meters was ledge that ran along this side of the ravine for about a meter and then extended out and across the ravine. It appeared to be about two feet wide and reached to the other side. It looked like a naturally made bridge. There just might be a way to get across!  
  
Sam came back to the children and told them what she had found. "I am going to go down there and check out the ledge to see if it is stable enough for us to go across. I want you all to stay right here until I get back OK? Josef, I'd like you to come with and wait at the top for me. Kiera, you're in charge of the rest of the children. We'll be back soon," she assured the remaining children.  
  
Sam made her way back to the edge of the ravine with Josef in tow. When they reached the edge, Sam pointed the ledge out to Josef. "It looks like it goes completely across to the other side. It looks sturdy enough from here but I want to check it out to be sure. You stay here in case I need some rope or something, OK?"  
  
"OK Major Sam. Please be careful," Josef implored.  
  
"I will," Sam replied. She gently eased herself over the edge of the cliff, hearing gasps from the children as she disappeared from their sight. It was a short drop to the ledge, which served as a platform of sorts to the bridge-like structure that spanned the ravine. Sam was not afraid of heights, she remembered walking across a much thinner beam when they first saw Thor as a hologram in that cavern, and again when they found the crystal skull. This would be easier than either of those by the look of it; well, easier for her. She wasn't sure about the children.  
  
Sam took several steps onto the ledge that led over the ravine. It appeared to be very sturdy – there were no rocks tumbling from its sides as she walked. The sides of the ledge slanted sharply down to the base of the ravine. It was a sharp drop; they would have to be extremely careful that no one fell off as they crossed over. Sam turned around and looked up to where Josef was waiting for her. "I think this will work Josef. Let's head back and tell the rest of the children what we're going to do."  
  
Josef helped Sam climb back up to the top and headed back to where the children waited anxiously. They had not liked seeing Sam disappear from view, even for a few minutes. Sam smiled at the children, trying to ease their concerns.  
  
"There is a ledge that goes across the ravine, almost like a bridge. It is wide enough for us to walk across one at a time. It is a very steep drop though, so we'll have to go slow and be very careful as we cross. I would prefer if I took you one at a time across the ledge. It will take longer but we will be safer that way. Do any of you have any questions?"  
  
"Can we hold your hand when we go across?" asked Jalia. She was not overly fond of heights and was nervous just thinking about it.  
  
"Of course you can. Actually, I think that would be best. Let's go to the edge and you can all see how it looks." Sam got up and led the children to the edge of the ravine. They could clearly see the platform they would stand on and the structure they would walk across. The children looked nervously to Sam and Josef, wondering who would be the first to cross.  
  
"Josef, I think you should go across first with me," said Sam. "Then you can help the children up to the other side and keep them safe."  
  
"I can go across without your help Major Sam. You could start leading one of the other children as I go across." Josef replied.  
  
"No Josef, I would feel better if I went across with each of you separately. Besides, you and I should carry our supplies over on the first trip. Here, you put the pack on your back, I'll carry the mats." Looking at the rest of the children, Sam instructed them to wait right where they were. She didn't want anyone wandering off while they traversed this ravine.  
  
Sam and Josef made their way down to the platform and across the ledge. They went slowly and carefully watched their steps. In no time at all, they were safely on the other side and Josef hoisted himself up to the top of the ravine. The children could see him clearly from their side and waved happily at him. Seeing how easily Josef made it across helped ease their fears.  
  
Sam made her way back, then took each child in turn across the ledge. When it was Jalia's turn to cross, she balked at going over at first. Sam's reassuring words and tight hold on her hand convinced the girl she could do this. With slower steps than the other children, Jalia made it safely across and tightly hugged Kiera once she was on the other side. She never wanted to do something like that again in her life!  
  
The last two left to come across were Bryson and his brother Kellan. Bryson, normally a fearless child who always wanted to keep up with his brother, balked at going across the ledge. He refused to go with Sam alone. Finally, she had to give in and have Kellan accompany her. She didn't like this arrangement but the others had gotten across without incident and she felt confident that Kellan would do just fine. Besides, it appeared to be the only way she could get Bryson across.  
  
Sam the led the way across, Bryson's hand held firmly in hers, his other hand in Kellan's grasp. It was difficult for him to walk steadily this way, so Sam convinced him to let go of Kellan's hand when they were half way across. She didn't want the smaller boy to cause his brother to lose his balance. The continued on at a snail's pace, Sam glancing back often to check on Kellan's progress at the end of the line.  
  
Bryson too checked on his brother's progress behind him. As he glanced at his brother for the millionth time, a large bird came into view. From the corner of his eye, Bryson saw it swoop down close to where the other children were waiting and continue on toward the ledge. So fascinated was he in this huge bird that he forget to watch where he was stepping and got a bit too close to the side of the ledge. Sam felt the tug on her arm before she saw him slip over the edge and cry out. "BRYSON!" she yelled as she instinctively dropped to her knees while still hanging onto his hand. She grabbed at his other arm that was flailing around with her left hand. The sudden shift in his weight to both hands caused her to slam into the ledge, right onto her sore left shoulder. Sam grimace in pain but continued to hold onto the little boy, who was now sobbing hysterically.  
  
Sam was having trouble getting up to her knees and pulling the boy up at the same time. Kellan, who had been standing behind his brother the whole time, watching in shocked silence, came out of his daze and lurched forward onto his knees to help Sam pull his brother to safety. Once he was back onto the ledge, Sam pulled him into her arms and held him tightly against her. She was just as shaken as the two boys were. She would never have forgiven herself if something had happened to Bryson. She should have been keeping a closer eye on him!  
  
Sam pulled back and looked the little boy over. Except for a few scraps on his arms and the side of his face, he looked like he would be all right physically. "Are you OK Bryson? Does anything hurt? I am so sorry...I should have been watching you closer."  
  
Bryson sniffled and looked at Sam, then Kellan. "I'm OK Major Sam. It wasn't your fault; I was watching a bird and didn't look where I was going. It's all my fault!" Bryson started to cry again.  
  
"Shhh, it's no one's fault OK? It happened, but you are all right and that is all that matters. Kellan and I are very glad that you are such a strong, brave boy. You held on tight and didn't let go. We are very proud of you," Sam reassured the boy. "Let's get across this ledge and see about cleaning you up, OK?" she smiled gently at him.  
  
Sam stood up and held tightly to Bryson's hand as they made their way the last few meters to the other side of the ravine. She handed Bryson up to Josef, then helped Kellan up the slight incline to safety. Once at the top, she gathered both Bryson and Kellan close to her and held them tightly. The other children gathered around her in concern for the three of them. They had nervously watched the rescue attempt and had held their breath as Bryson dangled over the side of the ledge. Everyone was relieved at the happy ending of this little escapade.  
  
Sam cleaned up Bryson's scrapes and put some ointment on them. She took off her jacket and put it on the small boy as he was shivering, most likely from fright. She rolled up the sleeves of the long sleeved jacket so Bryson's hands were just visible. Even with the sleeves rolled up, he still looked like he was drowning in the shirt, but he gave her a happy smile as he fingered the patch on the side of the jacket.  
  
She made sure all of the children had some water to drink. She wanted to get away from the ledge and back on the trail as soon as possible. They needed to clear the forest before dark; or at least get as near to the edge of the forest as possible. Sam was starting to worry about their supplies if they didn't make it to the gate by tomorrow.  
  
After a brief rest, everyone was ready to go, so they set off down the narrow path of the forest once again. Sam hoped they were close to the end. She wasn't sure how much longer the children would hold out. It was two hours later that she saw an opening in the forest up ahead. Sam could see mountainous ridges peeking through the opening in the trees. "Do you think that is the end of the forest Josef?" she asked the oldest boy.  
  
"I think so Major Sam. I can see one of the great ridges up ahead," Josef replied eagerly.  
  
"Me too!" shouted Teegan. "Can I race someone to the clearing?" He was obviously excited to be near the end of the day's journey and had some excess energy to wear off. Where he got the energy, Sam didn't know. She was feeling pretty exhausted herself!  
  
"I'll race you," cried Jalia. "Is that Ok Major Sam?"  
  
"OK, but I want you to make sure you stop once you reach the clearing, no going any further!"  
  
"We won't!" cried the two youngsters. Bryson decided to join them, for which Sam was glad. It was good to see the boy back to his exuberant self after the mishap earlier in the day. She wasn't concerned about them running ahead, as she could clearly see the clearing from here and knew that the children would stop and wait for her. They had been wonderfully behaved this whole time and she didn't expect things to change now.  
  
The rest of the group followed at a more sedate pace but still met up with the others in a few minutes time. They all stopped in the clearing and looked at the scene before them. They were on the top of one ridge and could see three others surrounding this one. As they went closer to the edge of the ridge they were on, they looked down and saw what Josef had described to them: there appeared to be a large X where the four ridges met. There were many large boulders at the base of the ridges and they could also see several caves at the bottom. They would have to get down there to see which cave was the one they needed. From this height, it was hard to distinguish a triangular shaped boulder from the other boulders strewn about the ridge floor.  
  
Sam looked to the sky. The sun would be setting behind the ridge in little less than an hour. She didn't want to risk a climb down the steep hill in the darkening sky so decided that they would camp out in the clearing for tonight. In the morning, she would once again get the rope out and take her little group down the ridge and try to locate the cave with the second Stargate.  
  
She gathered the children to her and led them to the edge of the clearing near to the trees. She wanted to have some protection against the elements. Just as she was about to start a small fire to cook the last three MRE meals, she heard a noise in the distance that sounded like an aircraft of some kind. The children heard it too and looked to her for some explanation. Could it be the Tok'ra or another of Earth's ally's coming to find her? Or was it the Jaffa? Not willing to take the chance and been seen out in the open, Sam hustled the children back into the forest; far enough in to be hidden but close enough so that Sam could watch the sky.  
  
The sound from the ship came closer and closer. Sam knew that sound now, she had heard it many times in the past and it caused her heart to stop: a Death Glider. She ducked further back into the trees with the children and watched as not one, but two Death Glider's roared past their position, traveling from the south to the north. She only hoped they were headed to the first Stargate and were not out looking for her and the seven children who had disappeared from the meeting house three days ago.

As always/TBC


	9. More Waiting

More Waiting  
  
SGC briefing room – 1700 hours  
  
It had been three days since they left on their mission to P3X-471. Three days that Carter had been missing. Three days that he, Colonel Jack O'Neill, had been allowed to do nothing but sit on his ass and wait. Wait for what? The Jaffa to clear the Stargate? Not happening. For the Tok'ra to come and help? Also not happening. For the approval of the President to send an explosive through the gate to the planet? That is what they were currently waiting to find out. If the answer was no, Jack was starting to think he'd grab a bunch of grenades and head through the gate on his own. He wasn't a man to sit around and do nothing when one of his team members was missing. It went against everything he believed in.  
  
Daniel and Teal'c sat at the briefing table with Jack, waiting for General Hammond to get off the phone with the President and let them know what was happening in regards to the rescue mission. Daniel had been to visit Treyem often during the past 3 days, but regrettably had no new information for him. They were beginning to look at planets that would be hospitable for the people of Kortaul. At least Daniel had that to keep him busy. He looked over at Jack and saw the frustration evident in his set features. No jokes, no light hearted banter had been emitted from the man in days. This was an unusual occurrence for Jack, but Daniel totally understood. He didn't feel much like any form of conversation either.  
  
"Gentlemen," announced General Hammond as he entered the room. "I have received an answer from the President." He looked at Jack as he took his usual seat at the head of the table. "I'm sorry to report that the President does not give his approval to use explosives through the gate in order to mount a rescue attempt of Major Carter."  
  
At these words, Jack stood up angrily and pushed his chair away. "And what does the President suggest we do then? Send them a flowery greeting and ask politely if we can come through and look for our wayward Major?" This was said with all the biting sarcasm that Jack could manage.  
  
"Colonel, that is enough," barked the General. "I happen to agree with the President on this one. The second MALP that we just sent through an hour ago was destroyed as soon as it rematerialized. There's no telling what we would be walking into."  
  
"With all due respect sir, it has been three days. Is there any chance that the Jaffa are going to leave the area any time soon, especially when we keep sending things through?" Jack asked as he paced around the room.  
  
"There is little chance of them leaving the Stargate O'Neill," Teal'c responded to his rather rhetorical question. "They will undoubtedly stay for quite some time as they have not yet acquired the weapon that was on the planet. They also must believe that we are interested in the weapon as well, as we continue to try and return to the planet."  
  
Jack continued to glare, even though he knew Teal'c was only trying to answer his questions.  
  
Daniel tried to diffuse the situation a bit. "Is there any good news General Hammond? Anything at all that we can do?"  
  
"As a matter of fact there is Dr. Jackson. I have received word from the Tok'ra that they will be able to come in tomorrow and formulate a plan with us. They have operatives who have recently finished an assignment and will be able to come and help us. They will arrive tomorrow around 1400 hours if all goes according to plan."  
  
"1400 hours? That's almost another entire day that Carter is out there on her own enduring God knows what!" exclaimed Jack.  
  
"I'm sorry Jack; it's the best I can do. I suggest you draw up some plans of your own to share with the Tok'ra when they come. You have just returned from the planet and know the lay-out around the Stargate a bit better than they will. And Jack, please don't be abrasive when they get here. We are all doing the best we can with the situation at hand."  
  
Jack nodded at the General. He knew he was being an ass, but he couldn't help it...he felt shaken at her continued absence. A valuable member of his team was out there alone and he couldn't do anything to help her. Well, now he could. He would have a plan drawn up and ready before the Tok'ra got here so they wouldn't waste any more time on planning; they needed to be taking _action_!  
  
A/N: Short chapter but I thought I'd better address what the boys were up to. Some of you have been asking about them! Back to Sam and the kids in the next chapter! (I think I am better at writing about them!!) 


	10. Almost Home

**Another Way Home  
**  
Sam had stayed awake all night, not willing to sleep in case the Death Gliders reappeared or some wayward Jaffa showed up. She had fed the children the remaining food that didn't need to be cooked, too afraid to start a fire in case it was discovered from the air or the ground. There had been enough berries, edible plants, and one small loaf of bread left over. Sam had nibbled at a few berries and plants but left the majority of the food for the children. She sure couldn't wait to get back and have a nice hot meal! The children had settled into a restless sleep, unnerved by this new threat to their safety.  
  
The sun was just starting to come up. Sam looked at her watch; it read 0830. She was quite glad that the two planets were pretty close to the same daily cycle. It made things easier on her as they traveled, as she could keep track of how long they were gone and what might be happening at the SGC. By her accounts, this was the beginning of the fourth day away from her team. She was pretty positive that her team hadn't come through the gate to attempt a rescue. She knew how General Hammond operated, and was certain he wouldn't send anyone through with the large contingent of Jaffa and weapons waiting at the gate.  
  
Sam decided to take another look in the clearing and see if there was any sign of hostiles in the vicinity. She hasn't heard any more sounds from the air or the ground last night, or this morning, and kept her fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any activity today. She really needed to get the children down the ridge and find the cave with the second Stargate. Sam made her way cautiously to the clearing. There were no signs of anything amiss. She slowly crept to the edge of the ridge and looked down. Nothing. Sam waited several minutes, carefully observing her surroundings and where she would need to next take the children. Heaving a large sigh of relief at the inactivity, Sam made her way back to the children to rouse them from their sleep. Though she had grown to deeply care for each one of the children, she was hoping against hope that this would be the final leg of their journey together.  
  
The children woke up slowly to the sound of Sam's voice. "Come on sleepy heads, time to get up! We're going to make our way down the ridge this morning and find the cave with the Stargate."  
  
Sam only had the final few MRE meals but didn't want to start a fire this morning for safety reasons. She had picked some more berries in the wee hours of the morning, so fed the fruit to the children. She promised them when they got to Earth they would have a hot meal. And ice cream for dessert!  
  
Sam re-bandaged her arm before getting ready to set off. It had started to bleed again after the mishap on the bridge with Bryson, so she had to clean it up again and put some more antibiotic ointment on it. She would have to check Bryson's scraps as well. He would not relinquish his hold on her long sleeved shirt last night. Sam smiled at the memory. It had been fairly warm so she didn't need the extra protection and if it gave the little boy some extra comfort, so be it.  
  
Josef and Kiera picked up the few supplies they had at the camp and packed them away as Sam took the rope out and got the children ready for the descent to the bottom of the ridge. They had asked about the Death Gliders as they were eating their berries. Sam tried to reassure them that the Gliders would not be back, even though she was not positive about this herself. They would move as quickly as possible down the ridge, just in case.  
  
They made their way to the edge of the clearing and looked down once again. It was about as steep as the climb up had been a few days ago. Going down might be a bit trickier. Sam would take the lead once again, with Josef bringing up the rear. They made their way at a diagonal as they had during the ascent to the forest. The children held onto their knots on the rope and carefully followed the trail that Sam made in the loose rocks. No one slipped this time around and the trip only took about 30 minutes.  
  
Once they were safely at the bottom, Sam gathered up the rope and looked around. The base of the four great ridges was a lot larger than it looked from the top. It stretched about 30 meters in each direction. Sam could make out several caves carved into the base of the various ridges. She looked around for one that had the triangular boulder in the front that Josef had mentioned.  
  
"Over there!" Josef exclaimed excitedly, pointing to a large, reddish triangular boulder sitting in front of a dark entrance at the base of the ridge, directly to the left of their position. "That has to be it. It's just as my father described!"  
  
In his excitement to see if the second Stargate was really there, Josef hurried over to the cave and was about to enter it. Sam followed closely behind him, reached out and grabbed his arm just as he was about to enter the cave.  
  
"Wait Josef. We can't go in there blindly; I need to make sure it is safe inside. I need you and the rest of the children to wait right here, behind the large boulder." Sam indicated the boulder to the left of the cave's entrance. She needed to make sure the cave was secure and also didn't want to risk the children being seen from above as they waited for her. The boulder would provide ample cover for the seven of them.  
  
Josef looked disappointed but didn't argue with her. He trusted Major Sam implicitly and would do whatever she asked of him. He gathered the children with him behind the boulder and waited as Sam went into the cave, Zat gun at the ready and flashlight shining brightly.  
  
Sam hugged the sides of the cave as she made her way inside. Her light showed the shiny walls of the cave, lined with some sort of mineral. She would love to stop and take a closer look but didn't have that luxury right now. The entrance of the tunnel was about 3 meters across and went back another 10 meters. Sam stayed close to the edge as she reached the end of the tunnel's entrance. She shined her light into the open expanse of the cave and gasped as her light caught the reflection of the Chevron's glowing in the darkness. It was actually here! Sam hadn't fully believed that she would find the second Stargate; it seemed beyond the realms of possibility. Of course, most of the last five years had found her discovering things way out of the ordinary; why should this be any different?  
  
Sam continued to shine her light around the cavernous room. She wanted to make sure there were no unexpected surprises waiting for her. Her light caught the reflection of the red globe on top of the DHD. She heaved another sigh of relief. This just might work! Now all she had to do was hope that she could establish a connection with Earth and she would have the children home in no time! Feeling confident that things were as they should be, Sam made her way back to the entrance to collect the children.  
  
"You can come out now," Sam announced to the children once she reappeared from the cave's entrance. She smiled brightly at them as they emerged from behind the boulder. "It's in there! Josef, your father was right; there is another Stargate!"  
  
The children gave shouts of joy as Josef smiled in relief at Sam. He had been a bit worried that maybe he hadn't remembered the details of his father's story correctly and had taken them in the wrong direction.  
  
Sam saw his look of relief and came over to gave him a big hug. "I couldn't have done this without you, you know. You make a great team mate! Your parents and my CO are going to be awfully proud of you, once I tell them all you did to help!"  
  
Josef smiled shyly at her as he drew back from the hug. Her words of praise meant the world to him and would fill him with pride for many days to come.  
  
"Let's go in and see if I can get this Stargate to work, shall we?" Sam asked the children. She handed Josef the flashlight and let him lead the way. He deserved it after all!  
  
The children stared in awe at the Stargate. They had seen the one near their village of course, but this one seemed even grander. It was lit only by the flashlight, which made its symbols glow in the dimness of the cave. There were also no steps leading up to the gate, it just rested in the soft dirt of the cave's floor. The smaller children went right up to the Stargate and stared up at in wondrous silence. Sam chuckled at their reaction to the gate.  
  
"Well, let's see if this is going to work." Sam announced to the little group as she made her way to the DHD. "I need all of you to stand back her by me OK?" They made there way back to her.  
  
Sam looked over the symbols on the round structure, locating the familiar ones of Earth. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the first symbol; nothing happened. No sound of that Chevron being engaged, no light showing up on the DHD, nothing. Crap! Sam thought to herself. Just when I thought we were on our way home!  
  
[][][]

A/N: Thanks for the continued great reviews. There should be one or two more chapters coming in this story. Hopefully I'll get them up before I leave for a brief vacation. ENJOY!


	11. Going Home

**Going Home  
**  
Sam groaned in frustration. There seemed to be no power at all going to the DHD. Well, she wasn't the top scientist and foremost expert on Gate technology at the SGC for nothing! She took the central panel off of the device and carefully set it on the ground. The crystals all seemed to be intact. No, wait. There might be part of the problem, Sam thought to herself. One of the three main crystals that were needed to operate the device seemed to be lying at an odd angle within the DHD. Sam picked it up and gently set it back where it was supposed to be. It couldn't be that easy, could it?  
  
She replaced the panel and tried once again to dial home. This time, the panel did light up but the corresponding Chevrons didn't move or light up on the Stargate itself. Back to square one, maybe square two as she had gotten one thing fixed. She went to the back of the Stargate and checked on things back on the lower panels of the gate.  
  
While Sam was working getting the DHD and the gate operational, she had Josef and Kellan collecting samples of the minerals in the walls. She might as well kill two birds with one stone while she was here! The younger children played games in the cave, throwing small stones into a circle Kiera had drawn in the soft dirt floor. Every once in a while, Sam could hear one of them cheer when they had successfully hit the target.  
  
After about an hour of Sam working on the gate, Teegan came up to stand beside her and watch. He was still extremely curious about this gate.  
  
"What does that part do Major Sam?" he asked, pointing to the DHD.  
  
"That is where I dial the address that we need to go to. It allows us to make sure we pick the correct planet when we travel," responded Sam.  
  
"How many symbols do you need to press?" he continued.  
  
"Seven, although some planets really far away use eight."  
  
"How come the gate doesn't fall over?"  
  
Sam looked at the inquisitive child. Boy, if he had glasses, he really would be a carbon copy of Daniel! "I'll tell you what Teegan. Once we get back to Earth, you can ask Daniel all of your questions about the Stargate. He really knows a lot about it and would love to talk to you!" She really wanted to get back to work and fix the Stargate.  
  
"OK," Teegan replied. "Can we eat the rest of those bars? I'm kind of hungry."  
  
"Sure, why don't you split them up among the seven of you? I think I should be ready with the gate in another hour. Hopefully we'll be home soon."  
  
"Then we can have ice cream, right?"  
  
"Yes Teegan," she smiled at the boy. "Then we can have ice cream."  
  
Teegan happily went back to the others and helped divide up the remaining energy bars. Sam continued her labors on the DHD and the Stargate. She was close, she could feel it.  
  
An hour later, Sam was replacing the panels on the back of the gate and the DHD. This should be it. From the entry tunnel, Kellan and Josef came running. "Major Sam! Those Death Gliders, they're back! We heard two of them coming this way from the other direction. What should we do?" The panicked children gathered around her, nervously looking back toward the entrance of the cave as if the Jaffa might come bursting in at any minute.  
  
"Could you tell if they were landing anywhere around here?" Sam asked the boys.  
  
"No, I don't think they were," replied Kellan. "They were flying up and over the ridge to the south."  
  
"I don't think they are coming this way, but we're not going to wait to find out," said Sam. "The Stargate should ready for us. Everyone stand back as I dial out."  
  
Sam double-checked to make sure her GDO was in working order. She also checked her watch; 1130. For the third time since this rescue had begun, Sam sent up a prayer to whatever higher beings might be listening. She reached out and pressed the first symbol. It lit up on both the DHD and the gate; a very good sign indeed! She continued to press the remaining six symbols in slow succession, wanting to make sure that each of them engaged as they were supposed to. With the seventh symbol, there came the familiar KAWOSH as the wormhole was established. The children stepped back in awe at the unfamiliar sight of the event horizon before them.  
  
Sam stepped back to the children with a smile on her face. "Everything is ready. After I send through my special code, we can step through the gate and we'll be home!" Sam entered her IDC and looked back to the children. Their faces were full of fear: never before had they been asked to do something so strange!  
  
"What is it like Major Sam?" asked Jalia. "Will it hurt to go through the gate?"  
  
"No honey, not at all. Did you ever get snow in your village?" At their nods she continued. "Well, it's like riding down a snowy hill on a sled or piece of wood. You go really fast and your tummy tickles. You might feel a bit cold as well, and maybe a little dizzy once we get to the other side, but it doesn't hurt at all, I promise."  
  
"Can we hold hands like when we crossed the bridge?" asked Bryson. He did not want to go through another mishap as he had the previous day.  
  
"Of course, we can all hold hands as we walk through the gate. How does that sound?"  
  
"GOOD!" the children chorused together. Anya came up to Sam and held up her arms. She wanted to be carried through the gate. She felt much safer when she was close to Major Sam. Sam bent down, picked up the little girl and settled her on her hip. She then turned toward the gate and took Bryson's hand in her left hand. The other children filled in and held hands as they got ready to enter the wormhole. It had been a few minutes since Sam had sent her IDC. She wanted to get through before they got suspicious in the control room and possibly shut the iris.  
  
"OK everyone, let's go!" And with a deep breath, the group of 8 stepped through the gate on their way back to safety.  
  
[----------][------------]  
  
"Unauthorized off world activation!" came through the SGC intercom as Jack, Daniel and Teal'c were making their way to see General Hammond. They wanted to check on the status of the Tok'ra. Jack glanced at his watch...1130. The Tok'ra must be early, he thought. The men jogged the last few meters and up the stairs to the control room. General Hammond was waiting for them.  
  
"Is it the Tok'ra sir?" Jack asked. He had reviewed his rescue plan several times and wanted to get down to business as soon as they arrived.  
  
"I don't know yet Colonel. We haven't received a code yet." responded the General. He looked down at Sergeant Davis.  
  
"Incoming code sir. It's....SG-1 SIR!"  
  
The four men looked at each other in astonishment. Had Carter taken out the Jaffa? Did she find the other gate? After a moment of stunned silence, the three members of her team raced into the gate room and stood at the bottom of the ramp, of to the side behind the guards. General Hammond joined them moments later.  
  
They waited. And waited some more. "Where is she?" asked Daniel. "God, I hope she's not in trouble. She could be getting shot at as we speak! She could be hurt and..."  
  
"Knock it off Daniel!" Jack glared in his direction. Things didn't need to be anymore tense than they already were.  
  
"It could be a trap O'Neill. Maybe the Jaffa have captured Major Carter and discovered her IDC code. It might be prudent to close the iris," stated Teal'c.  
  
"Let's give it another minute or two gentlemen. You have been known to be a bit delayed after ending your codes before," responded the General.  
  
Just them, the event horizon shimmered and out stepped Major Samantha Carter with a small blond child in her arms and surrounded by six other children. The guards lowered their guns as the four men who had anxiously awaited her arrival stared in shock at the sight before them. She had been gone four days and returned not only with Treyem's children, but five others as well. They couldn't believe their eyes!

A/N: One more chapter coming!


	12. Reunion

**Reunion  
**  
Sam took in the silence and the stares with concern. Was she going to be reprimanded the minute she got back and carted off to a holding cell? She didn't think either the Colonel or the General would do that, but she wasn't positive. "Uh... hello guys. Is everyone OK?" she announced to the room in general.  
  
General Hammond was the first to recover. "Sergeant Miller, go and get the villagers of Kortaul right away. Major Carter, welcome back!" He moved to the end of the ramp. "Thank you sir," she mumbled. Sam stayed where she was, watching her team mates. She didn't know what had gotten into them but she wasn't sure she liked this. Geez, she thought they'd be at least a little glad to see her!  
  
Teal'c stepped forward next, the first of her team mates to recover. "Major Carter, it is good to see you well," and he inclined his head toward her.  
  
At the sight of the large Jaffa, Anya hid her head in Sam's neck and the other children gasped and tried to hide behind her. All of them except for Josef, who stood by her side and hid his sister behind him. They had seen Jaffa in their village just a few days ago and knew what they were capable of. At the display by the children, Teal'c cocked his head to one side and stopped his advance up the ramp.  
  
"Hey, it's all right. Teal'c won't hurt any of you, I promise. He's a good friend of mine." Sam reassured the children. They peeked out from behind her and looked cautiously at the Jaffa. Slowly the group made their way down the ramp, pausing in the middle. Sam looked at Daniel and the Colonel. She couldn't quite read the expression on her CO's face. He seemed somewhat in shock. There may have been relief there as well. And she detected a bit of anger in his eyes. She closed her eyes briefly and looked to Daniel.  
  
Daniel came up the ramp and stopped right in front of her. "My God, Sam. We didn't know for sure you were alive! How did you manage to get back here with these children? Who are there? Are you OK? Your arm is injured."  
  
"Relax Daniel, I'm fine. Just an abrasion on the arm. I'll let you know everything in a while OK? I need see to the children first."  
  
"Who is this little beauty?" Daniel asked, indicating the little girl in Sam's arms. "What is your name honey?"  
  
Anya put her head back in Sam's neck and refused to look at Daniel. "This is Anya Daniel. She's five years old. She doesn't talk right now. She saw some...things that made her want to keep her thoughts to herself for a while." Sam looked pointedly at Daniel during this speech. He got the picture, as did the rest of the people within hearing distance. Daniel walked down the ramp the rest of the way with Sam and the children and looked to Jack. Was he going to come over and say something to Sam?  
  
Jack couldn't take his eyes off his 2IC. He couldn't believe she was back and that she had gotten there without any help from them. Well, actually, he could believe it, but he was still in a bit of shock. How had she done it, and with seven children in tow? He was also feeling anger, not toward her anymore but toward himself. OK, maybe a bit at her for disappearing on him for four days. But he felt more anger toward himself. He should have been there with her: she was his responsibility, as were these children under her care.  
  
Before Jack could say a word, General Hammond spoke up. "So, who do we have here Major Carter?"  
  
Jack finally found his tongue. "Yeah Carter, it looks like you picked up some souvenirs on your little side trip. Care to share with us?"  
  
Sam looked at him carefully, still not sure what he was really feeling. She decided to let it go for now. She had the children to think of.  
  
"You already know Anya. This is Josef and Kiera. They are Treyem's children. Over here are Jalia, and Teegan. And these two handsome devils are Kellan and Bryson. They're brothers. I found them all in the meeting house that Treyem told me about. We had quite an adventure, didn't we guys?" and she smiled gently at all of them. "This is General Hammond, Daniel, Teal'c, and Colonel O'Neill. Remember I told you about them?"  
  
The children nodded to the men. Teegan stepped forward and tugged on Daniel's arm. "Major Sam told me that you knew all about the Stargate. She said you'd tell me about it. I already know that it takes seven symbols to come here. How does that work?"  
  
Jack smiled for the first time and said quietly, "Remind you of anyone Teal'c?"  
  
"Indeed he does O'Neill. He seems very similar to Daniel Jackson."  
  
Daniel shot both men a look, then leaned down toward Teegan. "I'll tell you all about the Stargate after we see about finding your family and you get checked out by the doctors, OK Teegan?"  
  
"OK. I can't wait!" came the enthusiastic reply.  
  
Just then the cargo bay doors slid open to reveal a contingent of villagers from Kortaul. Leading the group was Treyem and his wife Maresa. They stopped short at the sight in front of them. Then Treyem cried in a loud voice, "Josef, Kiera you are safe. Oh, my beloved children, you are safe!"  
  
The two children stepped off the end of the ramp and were engulfed in ecstatic hugs from their parents. More cries of gladness could be heard from other adults as they found their children and were reunited with them. They had not dared to believe that they would see their children again, but here they were, safe and whole.  
  
As the reunions were taking place, Sam stepped to the side, still with Anya in her arms. The little girl watched the scene before her with large, sad eyes. She knew her mother would not be coming for her. She didn't know what had happened to her father. Sam talked quietly to the little girl, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. She was overjoyed to see the happiness of the others before her, but sad for the little girl who held onto her so tightly.  
  
A man with blonde hair made his way from the back of the crowd, slowly circling the lucky parents who had their children once again in their arms. He had seen his wife taken by the Jaffa, but didn't know what had happened to his little girl. As he made his way to the front of the group, he looked toward the people who had brought them here. He stopped short when he saw Major Carter, a little girl wrapped around her body.  
  
"Anya," he whispered. He couldn't get the name out any louder. Then: "Anya?" as he walked closer.  
  
The little girl turned her head toward the voice. She stared intently at the man making his way toward her. "Papa?" she whispered.  
  
Sam turned in amazement to the little girl in her arms. She had spoken! Sam looked back to the man approaching and let Anya down as she began to wiggle in Sam's arms. Anya ran full throttle to her father, shouting "Papa!" loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. As her father gathered her close in his arms, the tears of joy ran unchecked down his face.  
  
Sam couldn't hold her own tears in any longer as they ran unabated down her cheeks. Right now she didn't care about looking professional or about the repercussions she might receive from this mission, she knew that the scene before her made it all worthwhile.  
  
Unbeknownst to her, Sam wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes. Daniel's eyes were suspiciously moist, as were the General's. Teal'c had an uncommon wetness to his eyes as well, but he blinked rapidly and tried to appear his usual, stoic self. Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of the best SGC team at the base, had to keep looking down at the floor and remind himself to remain impassive. It wasn't an easy thing to do.  
  
Jack felt the need to redirect his attention as the children were being reacquainted with their parents. He took Sam lightly by the elbow and brought her a few steps back from Daniel and Teal'c. General Hammond followed the two officers.  
  
Jack stopped and cleared his throat, "Uh... Carter, there are some things we are going to need to talk about."  
  
Sam wiped her eyes and looked up at her CO. "I know Colonel, but before you start anything, please let me say something. I know I disobeyed a direct order when I went back looking for those children. I'm sorry if I made you worry. I regret the need for you to spend extra time and personnel on figuring out how to come and get me. But I have to be honest with you, both of you," she indicated General Hammond in this as well. "If I had to do it all over again, I would do exactly the same thing. I mean this..." and here she indicated the scene in front of her, "is a hell of a lot more important in my book than retrieving any weapon could ever be."  
  
The two men looked at each other after her little speech, not sure what to say. Jack's intention had not been to reprimand her, but to get some answers to the myriad questions he had about her solo mission. Before they had a chance to respond, Treyem came over to them.  
  
"Major Carter," he held out his hands and took both of hers. "I can not begin to thank you enough for what you have done for us. You are truly an andolana, a guardian of children. You have brought back to my wife and me what is truly most important to us. For that, you will always be honored among our people." And he bent forward and kissed both of her hands.  
  
Sam, a bit flustered with all of the praise and attention, dropped her hands from his and hugged him. "You are most welcome Treyem." She pulled back. "But you must know, that I could not have done it without Josef and Kiera's help. Josef showed us the way to the second Stargate on your planet and Kiera helped so much with the younger children. You should be proud of both of them, I know I am!" She smiled in the direction of the two oldest children, who came over and gave her hugs of their own.  
  
Anya scrambled down from the safety of her father's arms and ran over to Sam. "Major Sam!" she cried as she launched herself at Sam. The Major bent down and caught the happy child. It was so good to see Anya smile and hear her talking! Anya gave Sam a big hug, kissed her on the cheek, and looked intently into her eyes. "Major Sam, thank you for bringing me back to my Papa. You promised you would take care of us and you did. I love you, Major Sam."  
  
Sam couldn't believe that her eyes were tearing up once again! "I love you too Anya," she said quietly to the little girl.  
  
Once the other four children saw their friends giving Sam hugs, they came over and wanted to show their thanks and appreciation as well. Bryson, who was still wearing Sam's shirt, was the last to give her a hug. "Thank you for not letting me fall when we crossed the bridge Major Sam. I want to be brave like you when I grow up."  
  
"Bryson, you are already very brave. Don't forget that. And I would never have let you fall, either would Kellan," and she hugged him tightly.  
  
Most of the guards had left the room by this time, but the four men who had waited and worried for four days heard all that the children had to say to Sam. They were extremely touched by the deep feelings the children and Sam had for each other, and for how she had worked tirelessly to get the children back. This was further proof to each of them of the special qualities that made up Major Samantha Carter.  
  
While the children were huddled around Sam, Jack quietly stood next to General Hammond. "You know, she's right sir. This..." and he indicated the group of children hugging his Major, "is a helluva lot more important than any weapon or technology we could ever acquire." He paused and looked thoughtfully at the small group, then turned to the General. "There will be no charges filled against Major Carter or any disciplinary action taken in this matter. I hope you will back me up in this General. Hell, I think she should get a commendation medal for this, not some mark on her record."  
  
The General looked carefully at Jack. "I don't know if I could push through a medal, son, especially since she did disobey a direct order. As for the rest though, it's your call Jack and I'll back you 100%. Of course, that means you give me your assurance that you won't 'ring her neck' like you threatened to," he said with a smile.  
  
Jack gave the General a wry grin. "Don't worry. I think if I tried, I'd have a large Jaffa, a livid archeologist, and seven very angry children on my case! I'd not make it out of here alive!" The two officers shared a laugh, then General Hammond made his way over to the small group on the floor.  
  
He felt it was time to get the children checked out in the infirmary and get some food into them. "Sergeant Miller, Airman Woods, please escort the children and their parents to the infirmary. Make sure you contact the commissary to have hot meals ready to be delivered for seven; make that eight, hungry people," Hammond stated, looking down at Sam.  
  
"Do we have to go Major Sam?" asked Jalia. She wanted to stay with both her parents and Major Sam.  
  
"Yes, you all need to get checked out by the doctors but don't worry. I'll be coming right behind you. Then you'll get something good to eat, we haven't had much to eat today. And after you eat, I know I promised you some..."  
  
"ICE CREAM!" they all shouted together.  
  
Sam and the other adults in the room laughed at this and the children went less reluctantly with their parents to the infirmary, thinking ahead to the ice cream they would get to taste soon.  
  
Sam found herself suddenly exhausted and couldn't seem to get herself up from the crouched position she had taken beside the children. She was physically and emotionally exhausted. Sam leaned back on the back of her legs and placed her hands on her thighs. She bowed her head and took some deep breaths, trying to regain her strength and her composure.  
  
Daniel came over and crouched beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders and talking quietly to her.  
  
"Colonel, I think it's time you escorted your wayward Major to the infirmary. While we are all anxious to hear about your adventure Major, we'll wait until tomorrow when you are more rested. Briefing at 0900. And Major Carter, welcome back once again," the General stated with a smile.  
  
Jack came over to Sam and lightly grasped her elbow. He nodded to Daniel to take her other arm and then both men helped her gently to her feet.  
  
"Come on Major Sam," he used the children's name for her. He rather liked it himself! "Let's get you to the infirmary. If you're good, you can have some ice cream with your new friends."  
  
Sam looked at him with tired eyes and saw only friendship and concern for her reflected in their depths; no anger or consternation. She shared a small smile with him as she was led to the infirmary by two of her team members, Teal'c picking up her pack and following.  
  
She had meant what she said before, if she had to do it all over again, she would do exactly the same thing. But it sure was good to be home. The children were all back with their families and she was back with hers. It didn't get much better than this!  
  
[

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]  
  
A/N: Well, that's the end of my first fanfic and I got it done before heading off on my vacation! Hopefully I didn't get the ending too sappy for you! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Your wonderful reviews have boosted my confidence and have me thinking of more stories to write! Janissima 


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